Digital Pocket Monsters Special Adventure
by Denthasus
Summary: Pokemon Special/Digimon Adventure 02: Strange events are occurring in the human world and Pokemon regions, creating a chance for the Dex Holders and Chosen Children to meet. Together, they must learn to rely on their party and partners to stop the Dark World and Distortion World from destroying their worlds.
1. VS New World

IXEN (Age ?): Wow, it's been a long time since Author's written anything. Probably a year? If you readers don't know who I am, I'm Author's greatest creation for a her novel. I also appear in "Crest of Infinity" and "Pokemon Adventures: Rainbow Version" but eh... I'm in charge of the notes and disclaimers now, so bear with me. I'm not so good at speaking...

RED (19): You'll be fine, Ixen-kun! It'll be alright if you try.

BLUE (19): Or you can let me be in charge. Ohoho~

GREEN (19): Annoying woman...

SILVER (16): Watch what you say.

PEARL (12): Is it just me or did the tension suddenly heighten in here? Oi, Dia! Get back on stage! The one-hour premiere is about to start!

IXEN (?): ...At least someone is looking forward to the story... Erm, cue "Butter-fly" or "Target ~Akai Shougeki" or any other Wada Kouji song.

* * *

~GREEN~

I looked up from my book when Grandpa mentioned my name to his colleague. The man he was talking to seemed a bit older but shorter and stouter. He had a bushy grey mustache covering a proud smile as he looked over from me to the three young kids next to him.

I eyed them carefully and figured they were the new Dex Holders for the Sinnoh region. As usual, there were two boys and a girl. Seven years younger than me, I really had no interest in them until my sister turned towards me. "Green, come here and meet your new juniors." Daisy looked at me expectantly.

I closed my eyes and closed my book. I placed it on the table next to me before standing up and gauging the trainers. In the trio, the girl stood in the middle. She stared up at me with shining eyes filled curiosity and awe. Despite that, she managed to maintain a level of dignity that matched someone of her social status. "It is an honor to meet you, Senior Green," she said with a polite bow. "My name is Platinum Berlitz."

On her left, a boy with blonde hair smirked up at me nervously. He looked towards the other boy and Platinum. He finally built up the nerve to introduce himself to me. "Right, I'm Pearl. Little Miss says you're a really strong trainer from Kanto. If it's not too much to ask, I would like to be able to train under you, Senior Green."

I stared at him for a while and realized he resembled a man Grandpa and I had met earlier. That man was supposedly a powerful trainer in Sinnoh and I found that it would be at least worthwhile to see how his son compared. "I suppose I can, but fair warning, I'm known to be tough on my disciples. There is also a matter of being a Dex Holder that will make my expectations higher, so do your best."

Pearl seemed instantly excited and looked towards the other boy. "Did you hear that, Dia? Dia!?" He stared at his friend oddly and I had to shift my gaze over to find that the boy was no longer standing behind Platinum.

The last boy had noticed the table of snacks and was helping himself to a bagel. He looked up at me with a calm expression. "Oh, sorry. I'm Dia!" He offered me a new bagel. "Would you like one, Senior Green?"

Platinum covered her mouth and was holding back a few giggles while Pearl looked away out of embarrassment. Grandpa only smiled before looking at Professor Rowan. "Let's start our discussion on the Distortion World now."

* * *

~RED~

I stared down at the snowy mountain from my peak. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in as I remembered my past training sessions here. Things were getting pretty boring. Trainers that made it to this point are pretty strong but they don't really make it to my expectations for a fun battle. Each challenge seems to wear me out and it gets harder for me to tell if my skills are still sharp. Battling just wasn't fun without the others anymore.

I smiled when I remembered that all of the Dex Holders were going to be coming together for the first time in a few years. There were three new additions to the team and I wanted to make a good impression on them. Green actually told me about the regional team and uncharacteristically told me to relax. Apparently, I was some sort of star since there appeared to be a popular anime based on my Pokémon team in Sinnoh.

Of course, that was what he said yesterday. Thinking about it now, what am I doing here on Mt. Silver when I should be at home or at the very least checking up on Green's gym and the lab? I opened my eyes and found myself in Pallet Town. I was very confused and couldn't help but feel something was wrong. Even if it wasn't bad, I knew something was off.

I stood in the empty field of grass and flowers silently but there didn't seem to be anything alarming. I jumped though when something wet and cold hit my cheek. I reached up to it and found water, making me look up at the lightly cloudy sky. It wasn't raining but I noticed more and more flakes of ice fall. My eyes widened when I realized it was snowing.

It's never snowed in Pallet Town before and I could tell this wasn't from a battle. I had to find out the cause so I started moving towards the residential areas. I froze when something orange crashed into the ground a few feet in front of me. It looked like a small meteorite but when I approached it, the rock started floating in front of me.

When I was finally within an arm's reach away, the rocks took up a strange pattern. Triangles pointed out in all eight directions of a compass around a hollow circle with a smaller circle inside. _"Courage,"_ a voice in the back of my mind said. My eyes widened as it continued. _"You have been tasked to seek Courage. Do you accept?" _I couldn't find my voice because I was so confused but I touched it. That seemed to be all the answer it needed because an orange light surrounded me, leaving me rather disoriented on my bed with Pika jumping on my chest in worry.

* * *

~BLUE~

"What do you mean 'it's all in my head'? Are you saying I'm going crazy?" Red's voice slightly cracked.

"No, I'm just saying the stress of being our de-facto leader is getting to you," I said as I looked out into the ocean from the Vermillion City Harbor. "I mean, it was a dream, right? Maybe you're subconsciously thinking you lack courage." I bit my tongue when I realized I could have phrased that better.

"But I'm brave!" Red shouted.

I held my Pokégear away from my ear, resulting in a worried glance over from Silver. I smiled at the redhead to reassure him that he didn't need to worry and turned my attention back to the call. "Look, Red, you're one of the bravest guys I know but courage can refer to a lot of things."

"Like what?"

I tried to come up with a good reason and a thought finally came up to get him to leave me alone for today. "How about being true to your emotions? Go check out what Yellow is up to. Did you even return her Pokédex to her?"

"Huh!?" I could feel the red-eyed boy burning up through the call. "Oh, right. I told her I was going to visit and do that today… Um, thanks, Blue."

"Don't mention it. Bye." I finally hung up and Silver chuckled. I gave him a good-natured glare. "And what about you? I'm sure there's someone you might like." I called out my Wigglytuff and carefully drifted up from the ground and over the sea.

He shrugged as held onto the feet of his Honchkrow. "As long as the one person I care about more than anyone else in the world is happy, I'll be happy, Sis." He wore a small smile as he closed his eyes peacefully.

I knew who he was referring to and he already knew that but I couldn't help but smile back. "Thanks, Si—" Something in the ocean underneath us reached up and sharply pulled on Jiggly's foot, dragging us down into the water.

"Blue!" Silver heard my sharp cry and instantly dove towards me.

I tried to keep my head above the water but something grabbed my leg, tempting me to look down. My eyes widened when I saw a pair of menacing eyes glowing red as it dragged me out into the open sea.

* * *

~SILVER~

I quickly gave chase and sent out Kingdra and Gyarados. I had to figure out a way to get her free without hurting her but there didn't seem to be any way to get close to her. Every time I did, shadowy creatures would appear around me and push me away.

"Protect our god…" Their empty eyes looked up at me as they allowed the large humanoid mollusk get away from me.

"You're not going to stop me that easily!" I cried out. I looked ahead and noticed that Kingdra and Gyarados managed to set up a Twister trap for the large creature. I released Feraligatr from his Poké Ball and rode the waves over the shadows to catch up.

As I got closer, I noticed that Blue was taking advantage of the confusion by using her Blastoise to blast a full-powered Hydro Pump at the large mollusk. It was forced to release her and I sighed in relief as Jiggly managed to get her back into the sky.

I was about to join her but the creature gave out an intense roar and rose out of the ocean. I was completely caught off guard by the sheer size of the monster. It was many times larger than Lugia and had many tentacles coming from an arm. Orange bat-like wings stuck out behind him and he swung an arm at my water Pokémon. "Return my queen to me! I intend to bring the one named Light back into my realm! All who get in my way shall perish!"

At this point, my Twister-Whirlpool attack had dissipated and the large creature tried to crush half of my team with a tidal attack. I quickly recalled them before the attack hit but nearly let go of Honchkrow in the process.

"Silver!" Blue allowed me to stand on Jiggly for a short moment. "Since it's not a Pokémon, we should try using our ultimate move on it. We'll have to attack from up here though."

I nodded and readied Feraligatr. When the two of us were prepared, we tossed our Poké Balls into the air. "Hydro Cannon!" we shouted with all our might. We were quick to recall Feraligatr and Turtley but it didn't seem like our attack had much affect on the creature.

Instead, it seemed to be preoccupied with its minions. It cast us one last look before receding into the ocean. "So the one called Light lies elsewhere…"

* * *

~GOLD~

I carefully aimed my shot and smirked when I successfully sank three balls in that single turn. It helped to have such a nice song playing in the background to drown out the thunderstorm outside. "Hey, Aitaro, turn the radio up a bit louder." I sighed as DJ Mary's voice filled the room with old man Pryce's song.

I chuckled at the memories I had of that guy before stopping to reflect on that particular adventure. In the end, I felt all of the mushy feelings inside me wanting to come out. I shook my head and decided not to think about it. Besides, I was never one to think too much on that stuff. All I wanted to do was live for the moment and be able to laugh at whatever comes my way. If I could do just that, there would be nothing to stop me and whatever goals I get.

The song finally ended and I returned to my game. I had to stop again though because one of the other DJs said something interesting. "—prize will be an all-expenses-paid trip to Sinnoh's Sandgem Town for its annual snack festival. Contest rules are simple. There will be three passwords hints given out during the next few hours. First to call in with the three correct passwords wins the contest! Here's the first hint: Pink. Corrosive saliva. Evolves when—" The radio suddenly screeched and I had to slam my billiard cue against it to silence it.

"Hey! Who's messing with the radio antenna again?" I pulled back the curtains and saw the thunderstorm that was still going on outside. My spirits sank a little until I remembered I could just call Super Serious Gal. She'd know the answer with just those two hints.

I went over to my Pokégear and picked it up from its charging station. A searing jolt ran through my arm and I immediately let go. A flash of bright light appeared before my eyes so I had to close them. When I opened my eyes, I was in a cave, surrounded by three egg-shaped things. Well, at least one was egg-shaped, but it had a weird horn sticking out from it.

I was curious so reached my hand out to touch it. It immediately turned into a walking blue lizard with the egg's fiery design covering its hands, feet, and face. I backed into the peanut-shaped one with a lightning bolt horn and that turned into a four-legged blue dog-lizard with black armor and a longer horn. They looked at me expectantly and turned to the gold box floating in front of us. "Do you have the ability to Hatch this Miracle?" I returned to my room but looking down at my hands, I noticed I was holding the golden egg.

* * *

~CRYSTAL~

"Are you calling me a liar?" Gold waved his cue stick around like a madman. "How do you explain that _thing_ sitting there on the table?" He pointed at the odd cube he had brought with him. "I'm not crazy!" he exclaimed.

"Gold, can you sit still?" I looked at his right arm and noticed it was completely fine despite him telling me he had been shocked. "It's not that I don't believe you. I just find it impossible for a person to receive a jolt like that and be completely okay. Besides, how did the 'egg' appear in your hands? Your story is physically impossible." I paused though because there was probably nothing impossible for a Dex Holder. I studied the golden box-like design. On top, there was an odd pattern etched into it but there were no records of it in any of the research Professor Oak kept in the lab.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "It just appeared." He frowned as he picked up his fried Pokégear. "I just bought this model last month." He stopped whining when he noticed Blue and Silver sitting at a computer. "So what are those two doing here?"

"They encountered something strange on their way to One Island. A creature suddenly appeared and tried to abduct Blue. They fought with it but somehow it disappeared without a trace. Given the footage Blue managed to get with her Silph Scope, I'm surprised something so large can hide itself so well." I showed Gold the fight on the computer I was currently using.

I had hoped he would give some sort of helpful input but as usual, I was disappointed when the idiot began laughing. "You totally got it handed to you, Silver! Three Pokémon were nearly knocked out with one swing! If I were there, I would have just used Super Rising Thunder and defeated it then and there!"

Being more mature, Silver ignored him and went over the footage again and again. "Hey, Sis, it said it was looking for its 'queen' and I guess her name is 'Light'. Should we start with that?"

"I guess, but that's not much to go on." Blue sat at the computer next to him and turned it on so she could run her own concurrent search.

"Hey! Don't just ignore me like that! Silver!" Gold used his billiard cue to poke Silver but I was walking by with a large stack of papers. I cast him a death glare as he nervously laughed at the mess he made.

* * *

~SAPPHIRE~

I opened my eyes and found myself in the middle of Mirage Island. The peaceful atmosphere made me a bit drowsy but I smiled. I wanted to relive those moments I had with Ruby, back when we were training. I wanted to be able to confess to him without making such a fool of myself as we were leaving the island. More than that, I wished that I would have realized he was the same boy from back then so that I would have understood him better.

But still, even if I didn't have those wishes, I'm glad things are how they are now. My best friend, although still a bit of a jerk, is one I know I can count on when anything bad happens. So why was it that I felt hopeless and helpless as this darkness was sinking into this spring and around me?

I could feel my breath grow shallower and I was beginning to panic. I wasn't used to being this closed in and I ended up shrinking back, screaming. Right when I was about to be swallowed up by the shadows though, a pink light erupted from around me.

I was saved as a great angel stood before me. She had long blonde hair and wore a metal helmet which completely covered her eyes. She had eight angel wings and glowed in the same pink light which protected me. She smiled at me kindly and I was kind of stunned. "Are you okay?" she asked me.

I nodded my head. "Who…? What…?" So many questions came into my head but I couldn't ask them. One stood out above the rest though and I could feel myself tear up. I wiped them up and tried to fake annoyance to hide the hurt. "Why wasn't Ruby the one to protect me?"

The angel frowned and turned her head towards the spring. I saw Ruby standing there with his back towards me, his graceful Kirlia and Milotic out, ready to fight. Beyond him, I could see many empty eyes stare at him with a pair of glowing red ones menacingly staring at me. "That boy is a warrior rather than a guardian, but he will always fight to protect the people he cares about. I hope you will do the same to protect the Light of both of our worlds."

I nodded and smiled with fierce determination. "Of course! I can't fall behind to a person like Ruby after all."

The angel faded away and left me to fare in the darkness. I became a bit overwhelmed and flinched but quickly opened my eyes when I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. "Sapphire! Are you okay?" Ruby's eyes glowed with worry as his grip tightened.

* * *

~RUBY~

"It's kind of hard trying to explain it to a person who doesn't watch television," I said. "You were kind of turning into static in your sleep. It was like you were fading in and out."

"What kind of explanation is that?" Saphhire angrily asked.

"Give me a break. I was worried you were going to vanish right in front of me. That's what it looked like anyways," I replied back.

She softened at that. "You were worried? About me?"

I blinked at her and turned around. "Of course I was!" I stared at the moonlit sea and looked down on the Wailord we were riding. "If you aren't here, how am I supposed to get to Kanto and back to Hoenn?"

"Oh…" Her sudden change in mood caused me to flinch since it sounded as if I hurt her. I turned my head to look at her but she had curled into a ball to try to get some sleep.

"Hey, Sapph? I'm sorry." She didn't respond and I scowled at myself.

We were silent for a long time and when I finally went to check on her, she had fallen asleep again. It would have been odd for me to sleep right next to her so I looked through my Pokémon and decided to have Ruru watch over her. My Kirlia sensed my emotions and gave me a comforting hug.

"Thanks, Ruru," I said in a quiet voice. "Please watch over Sapphire, okay? If she starts to fade away again, get me immediately." I stood up and walked down Wailord's back to give her some space.

I laid back and looked up at the stars. Being a city boy, it still surprised me how much I could see in the sky out here in nature. It was always refreshing so I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. When I opened them again, I found myself in a field of flowers with a pixie with leafy wings. She wore a pink flower petal skirt as well as headdress. Draped around her hands were delicate sunflowers and although I found her very beautiful, I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty when she frowned at me. "What's the point of achieving beauty when you don't have a Pure heart?"

I looked away as I sat up. "There is no point," I replied as I clenched my fists. "But, it's hard to face everything truthfully when every little thing I do can taint her crystal clear heart. I have to protect her purity, no matter what."

* * *

~YELLOW~

I peacefully slept next to the river and was forced to wake up when my Pokégear began ringing. I slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes before reaching for the phone. I checked the caller-ID and smiled when I realized it was Blue. "Hello? What's going on, Blue?"

"Yellow, you do remember everybody is coming together, right?"

I jumped up to my feet. "Ah! I nearly forgot. What time will everybody be in Pallet Town? Is it today? Right now? I'll be there in a moment!"

I heard the older girl laugh a bit. "Relax, Yellow. Professor Oak won't be back until tomorrow morning with Green and the Sinnoh team. Ruby and Sapphire will be here soon though. I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn't oversleep tomorrow."

I nervously chuckled. "Thanks, Blue." I looked over at my fishing rod and noticed that it caught something. "Um, I'll talk to you later. I've got a catch right now."

"Okay then. Remember, don't be late!" She hung up and I tossed the Pokégear into my bag so I could grab onto my fishing pole.

I pulled on the rod as hard as I could but the Pokémon was a lot stronger and heavier than I thought. I struggled to keep my ground so I reached for Golosk. Despite the added weight and strength, we were unable to pull the catch up. Instead, I felt a sharp tug that caused my Golem to let go, sending me over the water.

I yelped as I crashed into the river. I quickly reached for Omask so we could battle underwater but our opponent surprised me. I was forced to let go of my fishing pole and quickly swam up to the surface. I got back onto shore and Golosk seemed already prepared for a battle.

"Hold on! Don't attack just yet!" I turned my head back to the river and the large turtle rose to the surface. It had two heads and a large tree on its back. Given its size, I was surprised it could even fit into the river but then again, I thought I saw a glowing white portal underneath it while in the water. I noticed it had a bad injury so went up to start healing it. "Please hold still."

It looked at me gently and returned my fishing pole. "So you are the child who possesses the ability to heal." I looked up and nodded with a smile.

* * *

~EMERALD~

"Hey! I'm back from my job. Crys? Are you here?" I entered Professor Oak's main lab and noticed that it was a mess. I was about to freak out thinking Crystal was attacked or something but I heard some shuffling near the back of the lab. "Alright, who messed up the lab? Eh? Gold?"

The boy was picking up the papers off the ground and looked up to me with a smile. "Hey, Rald. How have you been?"

"Gold! You're not even halfway done with cleaning up your mess." Crystal came out from the other room with a broom. She smiled when she saw me. "Hey, Emerald. Sorry I didn't come out to greet you. I was fixing the stove." Her eyes narrowed into a glare that was directed at Gold.

"Calm down, Super Serious Gal!" Gold went back to work. "I swear it was an accident! Look on the bright side! At least I didn't burn down the lab."

I took a step away from my senior to avoid trouble but felt bad for him. "Anyways, can I help? I finished reorganizing Pokémon at the Johto lab like you asked."

Crystal was still staring at Gold but she sighed when she figured he wasn't going to be able to clean the entire lab by himself. "I guess. There's more Pokémon in the back. Just reorganize them by Dex number and make sure Gold doesn't go into that room."

I smirked and happily went to work. "Sure thing!"

"Yes, yes," Gold sulked. "Abandon your senior in his time of need…"

I had been working for about ten minutes when I heard the door open. I peeked outside and noticed it was Silver and Blue. Crystal came out of the kitchen to check on them too and went on to speak with them. The two didn't close the door and Silver simply stared outside. "So does anyone know _why_ the two Eon Pokémon waiting outside?"

I jumped up at that. "Latias and Latios!?"

Gold looked up from his job hopefully. "Hey, hey! I want to see!"

"Gold, get back to work!"

I rushed past everybody and managed to get outside. _"Rald! It's great to see you. We have something to tell you before we leave to that other world."_

* * *

~PLATINUM~

Dia patiently stood by my side as Captain Eldritch gave us a tour of the ship's bridge. There were many interesting instruments that I was curious about so it was very interesting. "It's not a big ship, but I'm proud of this vessel," he said. "After all, we've braved through lots of adventures together."

I nodded and noticed Dia was trying his best to pay attention. He seemed bored but said nothing as he loyally kept an eye on me. I looked towards the Captain and bowed my head. "Thank you for teaching me about the ship's workings. Please continue to bring us to Kanto safely, Captain."

"Of course," Eldritch said with a slight blush. "It's not every day I can be the Captain in charge of a ship with four Dex Holders and two renowned professors. You're welcome anywhere on the ship," he turned his head to look at Dia, "but just make sure he stays out of the kitchen."

I looked between the man and my friend blankly. "Of course?" I walked towards the calm boy and smiled. "I have finished speaking with Captain Eldritch. Now what is it that you would like to do, Diamond?"

He thought about it slowly and turned his eyes toward the window. We could see Pearl still training with Green. The two have spent the entire afternoon doing so but it didn't seem like they would finish anytime soon. Dia smiled at them. "Let's walk around the deck, Lady. The weather seems nice right now."

I nodded my head and he led the way. We didn't walk very far before we stopped on the side of the boat to watch the sunset. He kept his calm blue eyes on the ocean and wore his usual lazy but easy-going smile. I turned my head from him and stared at the beautiful light reflecting off the ocean.

We were silent for a long time before I spoke up. "Thank you, Diamond, for convincing Captain Eldritch to show me the ship's bridge."

His smile grew as a blush appeared on his face. "It was nothing, Lady."

"But you didn't seem to be as interested as me. You appeared bored."

He shook his head. "Seeing you enjoying yourself is good enough for me." He turned back to the ocean and blinked when something caught his attention. I looked down too and noticed a pair of red eyes glaring up at me. At first I thought it was Giratina but then I saw that it was surrounded by misty figures.

* * *

~PEARL~

Right as the sun was about to set, Green and I finally stopped with our training. I was completely out of breath but did my best to keep up with my senior. He was pretty impressed with my basic abilities as a trainer and took a sip of water before speaking. "You will make a good addition to the Dex Holders' so-called 'fire brigade'. In fact, considering you can recognize a Pokémon's move in an instant, you have proven yourself capable enough to be the driving force the brigade needs when it comes to directing our attacks."

Green seemed to be half talking to himself but I guess what he said was a compliment. "Thanks, Senior Green. But what is the 'fire brigade' of the Dex Holders?" I looked towards Chimlord and Charizard who were resting.

"You'll see when you meet Gold and Sapphire." He sat on a lounge chair and picked up a file he had placed there hours before. "As for now, I've heard a lot from Professor Rowan about you three and the Distortion World. Just what do you know about it?"

I looked at him in surprise. "The Distortion World?" I thought about it carefully and quickly answered. "It's a world where the laws of gravity are constantly changing. When you first enter, there's no guarantee of where you will end up and it's ruled by the Pokémon Giratina." I tried to come up with something more to say but realized I didn't know much about it at all. "I'm sorry, Senior Green. That's all I can tell you." I straightened up when I thought of my friends though. "But you can ask Dia and Little Miss about it! Little Miss did a lot of research on the world so should know enough. As for Dia," I paused when I remembered a painful memory, "he told me that Cyrus said that his three experiences with the Distortion World connected him to it."

Green looked at me oddly. "Dia is connected to the Distortion World?"

I nodded my head. "When we were fighting Giratina, he took a Shadow Force attack for me. I thought he had died, but he ended up in the Distortion World due to that connection." I didn't tell many people about Dia's sacrifice and I realized something. "Senior Green? Can you not mention any of what happened to Dia to Little Miss? I know it might be a little wrong to keep this from her, but Dia and I swore to protect her in any way we can. If she knew…"

He thought it over. "Very well then." He paused when he sensed something. He only gave his Charizard a glance before it took off towards the other side of the ship. It was only seconds later I heard Dia's panicked shout.

* * *

~DIAMOND~

"Will Sir Dia be okay?" I was able to hear Sebastian as I lightly slept.

"Of course he will!" Pearl said a bit too loudly. He caught himself and nervously laughed in a quieter voice. "Sorry, but there's no need to worry; he's just relieved. Like his name, he's tough." I heard some shuffling and movement. "Hey, Little Miss, let's give him a chance to rest.

"Yes, that would be for the best."

"It looks like my research questions for Dia will have to wait…"

"What do you mean, Senior Green?"

"It's… nothing, Platinum. But maybe you can help me. Let's leave him for now. I want to know more about the Distortion World and what happened just now." I heard the door close behind him and felt myself totally sink into the darkness of sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself still surrounded by shadows. I stood in the Distortion World but it felt different from the last time I was there. The world usually gave off no feeling but right now it was colder and darker, like all of the light in the world was sucked away.

Above my head, there was a dark ocean. I could see a beach nearby and I noticed a boy with messy blonde hair lying in the sand. He wore a green shirt with long yellow sleeves, a pair of light green shorts, and dark green boots and I noticed a piece of white cloth clenched in his fist. He was unconscious and I did my best to get as close to him as I could. I tried to jump down onto the beach but the gravity didn't allow me to so I stood above him.

He finally stirred and slowly got up to his feet. He looked at his surroundings and spotted the ocean. The boy's first reaction was to back away from the water before he checked his surroundings. "So I'm back in the Dark World…" He sighed in relief. "At least it's just me and not anyone else. But still…" He shivered slightly even though there was no breeze. "I guess I don't think I'll ever get used to this feeling of darkness."

"Ah, so _that_ is what I feel," I said aloud causing the boy to look up at me as I stared out into the water. "The Emotions I have in the Distortion World compared to what I sense in this world," I spoke slowly as I tried to piece together my other emotions, "this uneasiness inside us is scary yet comforting."

* * *

INTERMISSION

IXEN (?): So that happened. I can't believe Author imagined this as an anime...

GOLD (16): Hey! We should totally get an anime.

DIA (12): A mecha anime!

SAPPHIRE (14): What's a mecha anime?

RUBY (15): Er, it's hard to explain since you don't watch TV...

YELLOW (17): Eh? I want to know what a mecha anime is.

CRYSTAL (16): A mecha is a genre of anime with robots or machines. There is usually a lot of fighting between good and evil, like our adventures, just set in a more futuristic world.

PLATINUM (12): That seems like an interesting idea for us to be in.

EMERALD (14): No, it doesn't! It's ridiculous! Just get on with it already, Ixen!

IXEN (?): Yeah, okay... On to the next half of the premiere where things hopefully stay more on topic.


	2. Another Adventure Begins

DAISUKE (Age 12): So it looks like those others had some fun on stage.

IORI (10): It depends on what you mean by fun.

MIYAKO (13): Of course, it was fun! I mean, we're up on a stage and in the limelight!

KEN (12): I'd rather not be the center of attention, but being up here with everyone is relieving.

HIKARI (12): Everone seems to be having a good time, huh, Takeru-kun?

TAKERU (12): Yup, Hikari-chan! But I agree with Ichijouji-kun. It's a big relief to have everyone by our side.

IXEN (?): And that's why I'm asking that at least two of you are up here with me for the disclaimers...

* * *

~TAICHI~

"Wow. It's really been a long time since we've returned here," I said as sat down on the small island. "Time passes by very quickly, doesn't it, Agumon?"

My partner nodded and picked up a small rock and began skipping the stones across the lake. "This was the place Gabumon first evolved." He watched as the first stone sank before turning towards the direction of Coela Beach. "And I first evolved into Greymon over there! That really came as a surprise especially after you all tried to call home from there."

I laughed as I went over those memories. They seemed so far away but I could remember them so clearly. "Well, we had no idea where we were and we wanted to make sure our classmates and families knew we were okay. That first adventure was the best." I continued laughing but stopped to stare at the water seriously.

"Taichi?" Agumon sat beside me with a worried expression on his face. "Is something the matter?"

"Not really. It's just that we learned so much on our first adventure together. Everybody matured after that but is that all? We grew up but that can't be all, can it? We still have years to go before we're adults but are we done growing?" I lied on my back to stare at the clouds. "I would actually like another adventure, you know? I want to be able to experience something new and different. Maybe I could meet some new friends and partners along the way."

"Hey!" Agumon leaned over my face. "You're not thinking about replacing me, are you?"

I smirked at him. "You're my one and only partner, Agumon. We're the only team in the world. Both of us are irreplaceable. But…" I looked away with a sly smile, "if I were to get another partner, I think he'd be red and would fight with a microphone! We'd both loudly shout out our feelings and—" Agumon lightly punched me and both of us laughed.

I had to stop when my D-Terminal notified me of a new message. I sat up and Agumon looked over my shoulder to see what it was about. _"The Fighter accepts Courage,"_ he read aloud. Agumon and I blankly stared at it for a while before he spoke again. "Taichi? What does that mean?"

* * *

~YAMATO~

_"Let's start running, not for anyone else, but because it's better than stopping. Cutting through the clear air, turning towards the bright ocean, keep on running. Keep on running. Find out your reality. There's no time to hesitate in front of the new door. Just run up, jump out there, and kick the door open. It it's you, you can definitely do it,"_ I slowed down and smiled, _"because you'll surely find a way."_ I looked up from my guitar and stared blankly into space.

Gabumon sensed my depression and looked at me worriedly. "Yamato? Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…"

"Do you want me to do something for you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…"

"Huh?" Gabumon waved his hand in front of my face.

"What?" I looked at him oddly and he stared back with a worried expression. "Oh, no, I'm fine. I was just thinking." I stood up from my seat and stretched. "I don't know why but I can feel a darkness hanging in the atmosphere lately." A shiver ran down my spine but I shook it off. "Let's go out for some fresh air."

The both of us left my room and skirted around the messy living room. One of these days, I would get to cleaning it up but for now, I wanted to clear my mind. Before we could get to the front door though, something jumped out of the shadows and attacked us. Gabumon was ready and tackled his body into the figure to protect me. "Petit Fire!" He shot the blue flames at his opponent and angrily glared at it. "I won't allow you to hurt Yamato!" Gabumon was careful but the figure quickly charged towards him and knocked my partner to the ground.

"Gabumon!" I wanted to get to his side but the shadow suddenly got in my way. I tensed up as it stared into me. Intense pressure built up within me and I felt suffocated by it. After what seemed like an eternity, the shadow disappeared and I was left gasping for air. I shook uncontrollably as I felt a need to train myself to be stronger than before.

* * *

~KOUSHIRO~

"Koushiro, you should really take a break. You look tired." Tentomon stared up at me from the ground as I continued to read through the notes Jou's older brother sent me.

"I will in a little bit. I'm almost done," I replied. My voice sounded a bit hollow, like I was a robot. It didn't help that I really was tired but I ignored it and continued to read through the file. Things became more interesting and I sat up in my chair. "Hmm… That's a plausible theory."

Seeing as I was not about to stop anytime soon, Tentomon sighed and turned to look at my monitor. "What are you reading, Koushiro?"

"It's the research Sora's father and Jou's brother gathered. Gennai sent me a file to go over too but it was a little too complicated. This new file though helps simplifies things." I paused as I finished reading a paragraph. "It has to do with the Digital World and other worlds."

"Other worlds? Why are you looking into that?"

"If there are other worlds, then there are bound to be even more interesting things to discover. There could be other people or even other Digimon that exist in those worlds. Wouldn't it be great to learn about it all, Tentomon?" It was getting more difficult for me to keep track of my spot since my eyes were very fatigued. I rubbed them and kept them closed for a long time.

"Koushiro, you always want to learn about the unknown, but you can't if you wear yourself out. Maybe you should take a break now."

I thought about it for a little while and decided my partner was right. I looked at him guiltily. "Sorry, Tentomon. I lost track of time again. It was very interesting though."

"It's not your fault," my partner reassured. "You still have some trouble seeing past your computer screen, but that's why I'm here to make sure you don't go too far when you chase after Knowledge. You've gotten better at being less formal though."

I smiled thankfully. "That was mainly because you're here." I glanced at the time and stood up to stretch. "Let's go do something outside for a change. There are still other things I want us to experience together."

* * *

~JOU~

I sank into my desk as I stared at the test grade I just received in my math class. I studied each problem thoroughly and reworked them but found nothing wrong. I went over it twice and still came up with the same result. I would have to speak with the instructor about this.

The thought made me froze because my teacher was very kind but strict. I didn't want him to think badly of me by pointing out his errors. What if I really was wrong? That would make me look foolish but I checked my answers and went over the textbook's practice problems. The likelihood of me being wrong was low.

I stood from my seat as the bell rang to dismiss us. This was the last class of the day so this was the perfect opportunity to ask about my grade. "Sensei? I have a question about my test grade."

"I'm sorry, Jou. I have a meeting with the other teachers of the math department right now. Can you talk to me about this after on Monday?" He quickly took some papers off of his desk and looked at me for an answer.

"O-of course," I meekly replied. I left the classroom and stared at my test numbly. I didn't know what to do right now and felt as if I had failed.

A voice shook me out of my thoughts though. "Hey, Jou!" I looked down and noticed Gomamon was here.

"What are you doing here!?" I picked him up and looked around to see if anyone was still in the hall.

"Relax, Jou!" He noticed the paper I held in my hand. "Huh? What's this for?"

I hastily stuffed it into my bag and walked down the hall. "It's nothing."

"You were talking with that man about it, weren't you?" Gomamon looked up at me suspiciously.

"Yeah, but it's nothing." I let him down so he could walk on his own.

He was unconvinced and proudly stuck his head up. "You know if you have a problem with something, you should say so with conviction. You should have more willpower, Jou!" I looked down at him sternly causing him to chuckle. "Okay, I know you have it but you've got to show it too, you know?"

* * *

~MIMI~

I looked around the Digital World and smiled. "Palmon, let's find a place to eat!" I eagerly started for the restaurant Digitamamon owned.

Palmon caught up with me as I waited for her at the door. We were about to enter when we heard some yelling from inside. "You two troublemakers! Come back here!" Digitamamon crashed into the door, causing the two of us to jump as a pair of small yellow creatures in the restaurant to laugh.

"What kind of Digimon is that?" I wondered aloud to Palmon.

Both were mouse-like and very similar to each other but there were very distinct differences to them. One was male and had red ears, paws, and a plus-shaped tail. He also had two red circular markings on his cheek that was marked with plus signs while the other had blue circles marked with minus signs. The second mouse-like creature was female and was colored blue instead of red. The two were very comfortable with each other as they jumped around, causing sparks to appear from their cheeks.

"Those two snuck into the restaurant from the back and caused a mess in my kitchen!" Digitamamon rolled onto his feet and angrily chased after them. "Come back here!"

"I'll help!" Palmon went after the egg Digimon as I stayed by the doorway. "Poison Ivy!" She tried to catch the two troublemakers but missed the blue one. The red one she held began crying and Palmon became affected by its cuteness. "I'm sorry, but you're causing trouble."

"Palmon, look out!" I noticed the blue mouse charge up electricity and released it, hurting my partner. I ran inside to check on her. "Are you okay?"

Digitamamon had locked himself inside his shell for protection and came out again. "I should have warned you about that. The red one lowers your guard while the blue one fights. I can't go after them because if I corner one, the other attacks. Going after them both at once is just asking for trouble."

"Maybe you should stop fighting," I suggested. "Despite their laughing, I think they're scared." I pointed at the two as they began running to the back of the restaurant. I helped Palmon up before making my way cautiously over to the two creatures. They didn't run from me so I guess they were used to being around humans. I gave them a reassuring smile and offered out my hand.

* * *

~SORA~

Piyomon and I walked by the Uji River as we visited my father in Kyoto. My dad was pointing out the different sights and I noticed the hydroelectricity plant. The workers were all pointing at the water and arguing about something.

"What's going on?" Piyomon asked as we tried to get a better look.

From where we stood, I noticed that the water around the plant was dirtier. It seemed as if there was some type of pollution but the thick liquid layering the water was able to move on its own. I looked up at my dad, thinking it had to do with a rogue Digimon coming into the real world. "Can we go check it out?"

He nodded and led us over. "Is it a Digimon?"

"I'm not sure, but it could be a Raremon."

As we got closer, a horrible stench hit us and I had to cover my mouth and nose to keep from gagging. Eventually, I could go no further. From where I stood I could see some moving purple sludge. They resembled Raremon but their bodies were too small and liquid-like to be that type of Digimon. They weren't exactly mechanical or robot-like either so I had no idea how to fight them. They had taken over the plant and as they moved, they left behind a trail of toxic sludge which grew into more of the disgusting creatures.

The water was even worse as there was a larger, more violent mass of sludge that began attacking us. It threw a glob of itself at us and I jumped out of the way. Piyomon saw and quickly fought back. "Sora! Magical Fire!" This angered the slime and it threw another glob at her. Piymon tried to shake it off but when she tried to fight she became very ill. Before I knew it, she began to fall from the air and into the water.

"Piyomon!" I wanted to run and catch her but more of the smaller masses got in between us.

"Sora, get back from there!" I heard my dad call for me as one of the grimy beings reached an arm out for me.

I flinched and fell backwards. The stench went into my nose and I felt incredibly sick. Before I passed out, I noticed a light blue four-legged creature jump over me. A refreshing breeze blew as it moved and I remembered seeing the water glow as the toxic chemicals became purified.

* * *

~DAISUKE~

"And the battle ends with Daisuke the Ace defeating his opponent without even breaking a sweat. This rookie is going to the championship match!" The announcer yelled loudly into the microphone and I jumped up with excitement.

"All right! That's what I'm talking about. Let's go, V-mon!" I psyched myself up for the last fight. I looked at my entire team of V-mon's evolutions. "Okay, let's do this. V-mon will take a breather for this match so we'll open up with Fladramon. If we have to, switch to Lighdramon. For a finale, we'll close with our signature X-Laser! That'll show everyone who the two-top team in the world is!"

The announcer took up the microphone again and pointed over to the person entering the arena. "Now we bring out our reigning Champion in bringing about Miracles!"

I looked up at the stage. Bright lights shone behind him so I could only make out the silhouette of a sixteen-year-old boy with explosive hair. He was riding on top of a skateboard and in his right hand was a long billiard cue. He carried it over his shoulder like a delinquent and laughed when he saw me. "So this is the kid who came to claim the grand prize?" He looked to the team behind him. The team consisted of a slim bearlike creature with fire erupting around its neck, a tiger with a thundering cloud following it, and an egg-shaped kite. The boy proudly displayed them and shrugged. "I guess we'll just see how this goes, eh!?" He held up something in his left hand and I quickly recognized it as the Digimental of Miracles. He noticed me staring and pointed his cue at me. "I hope you're ready to go against the Grand Hatcher Go—"

"Daisuke! Phone call for you!" My sister's piercing voice woke me from my dream.

I sat up in my bed groggily and stumbled into the living room. "Hello? This is Daisuke. Who is this?"

"No time for that right now!" I managed to recognize Miyako's urgent voice. "Sora was visiting Kyoto and something happened! Also Mimi found something strange while in the Digital World. Get to the school computer lab pronto! Call Ken and tell him too!" She quickly hung up and I was left rather confused and disoriented.

"V-mon!" I called out. "We're going out!"

* * *

~MIYAKO~

"Chosen Children, let's roll!" I activated the gate and all of us were teleported to the Digital World. I smiled brightly as I looked down at my usual adventuring outfit. "It's been a long time since I was able to say those words!" I cried after my Jogress partner arrived.

"Yeah," Hikari nodded. "I can't believe it will be the fourth year anniversary for Big Brother, Takeru, and the others."

"Speaking of Takeru, did he look a bit tired in the computer lab?" I looked down at Hawkmon and he shrugged.

Tailmon crossed her arms. "Patamon says he's been having trouble sleeping at night."

Hikari sighed at the thought of her best friend having trouble. "I spoke to him about it but he says it's just some old memories. He's still trying to figure out a way to write about his first adventure, mainly the part about Patamon's first evolution."

"Well, if it's Takeru, he'll be fine," I stated matter-of-factly. "What's more important is looking around for more of those strange creatures Mimi and Sora were talking about."

"Let's Jogress right now."

I nodded and held up my digivice. "Let's go, Hawkmon!"

"Of course, Miyako!" My partner jumped into the air. "Hawkmon, evolve!" I waited for the light of evolution to appear but nothing happened. "Huh?" Hawkmon looked at his body. "That's odd. Hawkmon, evolve!" His form remained unchanged. "I can't evolve."

Tailmon looked up at Hikari worriedly. "Hikari…"

Her D-Terminal received a message and she checked it out. "It's from Iori and Takeru. It seems as though Patamon and Armadimon have lost the ability to evolve too."

I took a look at my e-mails and found a similar message from Ken about V-mon and Wormmon. "That's weird. Why would our evolutions be blocked?" I asked aloud. I shook my head. "I guess it can't be helped for now. Hawkmon! Digimental Up!"

* * *

~IORI~

Submarimon surfaced from the depths of the ocean. Takeru spotted me and I returned his smile with a shake of my head. "Nothing weird here," I said.

He smirked and looked down at Pegasmon. "I guess that's it then. Let's return home, Iori." He turned in the air and waited for me to get a head start.

My partner took his cue to go ahead but I found that we weren't moving forward. "What's going on, Submarimon?"

"Something is pulling me backwards."

I glanced back as best as I could from where I lay and my eyes widened. "A whirlpool?" I didn't know such a phenomenon could occur in the Digital World but that didn't matter. If we didn't do anything, Submarimon and I would get sucked in.

"Iori, don't worry!" Takeru dove down. "Submarimon, revert back into Child form! Pegasmon and I will bring you back."

Nervous about the idea, my partner was reluctant at first until I reassured him. "Don't worry. We'll be alright!"

"Okay, Iori. I'll trust in you." My partner shrank in size and I fell into the water. I saw Armadimon reach the surface and I tried to do the same. It was useless though because I wasn't strong enough to counter the force of the whirlpool. Takeru already picked up my partner but as he reached over for me, he fell into the water too.

"Iori! Takeru!" Our partners' muffled voices managed to reach me as I was sucked into the vortex and their faces disappeared from my sight.

I don't know how much time passed but when I first sat up, I found myself on an island. I was safe and unharmed but I was also alone. I checked my person for my Digivice and D-Terminal and was relieved they were still functional. I looked at them and began to compile a message and signal for Takeru but I spotted a red-haired girl wearing a cute school dress looking over my shoulder.

I panicked and accidentally dropped both machines. I became embarrassed at my actions and could feel my face heat up as the girl curiously eyed my D-Terminal. She smiled brightly at me and giggled. _"This looks like a Pokédex, doesn't it, Latios?"_

* * *

~TAKERU~

I looked up at the peaceful boy. He had calm blue eyes and slightly spiky black hair coming out from his red beret. A long red muffler was tied around his neck and trailed in front of him. He wore a black vest over a white shirt and a pair of jeans. On his left wrist, there was a blue watch that matched another blue machine that stuck out from his pocket. Overall, he didn't seem to be someone to be wary of so the two of us just talked.

"I see… This world is a combination of both the Distortion World and Dark World." Dia looked around in wonder. "That's why it feels different." He frowned and placed a hand over his heart. "This uneasiness still remains though. Understanding where we are hasn't changed a thing."

I looked at him oddly. "You said the uneasiness was scary and comforting. I can see how it's scary but why comforting?"

His eyes stared off into space as he tried to explain. "I felt a pressure close in around me before. Back then, I had faced off against two powerful beings that controlled time and space. The uneasiness back then pushed me to keep going because I wanted to protect the time and space I had come to know with everyone I cared about. Those Emotions I felt were what led me to the Distortion World in the first place." I closed my eyes and smiled gently as I felt his emotions wash over me. I knew the exact same feeling he meant with those words. "Takeru?" I looked up. "What brought you here?"

I opened my eyes and thought about it. "Hope," I answered. "It was a hope I had of protecting everything that was precious to me."

"We're very much alike, huh?" Dia said with a smirk. "We both have something we want to defend with all of our heart."

"Surely, we'll be able to succeed," I remarked with a smile.

Both of us shared a laugh before I heard someone calling my name. It was distant but I couldn't make out where it came from. I looked up at Dia to see if he noticed anything but he turned his head away to look at a distant source of light. "Is it time to leave already?" he asked. He looked at me with sad eyes. "Will we see each other again?"

I also wanted to stay a bit longer and talk some more but I had to go too. I reassured my new friend though. "Of course. As long as you believe that we will meet again, we will. It is a promise that I always uphold, no matter what."

* * *

~HIKARI~

Taichi looked at me worriedly when I arrived back home. "I was about to leave for the Digital World to look for you and the others, Hikari. Did you guys find Takeru and Iori?"

Tailmon answered for the both of us. "Iori was stuck on an island by himself while Takeru had washed into an underwater cave. It only took so long because Takeru was unconscious the entire time so it was harder to find his D-3's signal."

"He'll be fine though, right?"

I didn't really hear him as I stared out the window. There was no moon out tonight so it was darker than usual but I didn't let it bother me. Suddenly, I saw a shadow with cold blue eyes move across the sky, causing me to flinch.

"Hikari?" Taichi stood by my side and stared out the window. He didn't see anything strange so asked me again. "Will Takeru be okay?"

"Huh? Oh." I turned to look back at my brother. "I hope so. Takeru didn't say anything much about what happened. He only kept staring at Ken and me before we all left." I tried to stifle a yawn but failed, resulting in Taichi looking at me with even more worry.

"Okay, it's late. Get to bed, Hikari. You too, Tailmon."

I obediently returned to my room and tried my best to get some sleep. I wanted to fall asleep but the image of the wispy shadow creature's eyes appeared in my mind. I rolled onto my side and noticed that Tailmon hadn't fallen asleep yet. "Tailmon, you need sleep."

She kept her eyes on me and shook her head. "I usually don't sleep until I know you're asleep. Is something wrong, Hikari?"

I shook my head and gratefully smiled that my partner would watch over me. I closed my eyes, ready to enter the world of dreams but I quickly opened them when I heard Taichi yell from his room. "Hikari! No!"

Tailmon stood on her guard and stared at the window intently. "I know you're there so don't even think about hiding!"

Hearing her words, a shadowy figure floated into the room. A ghostly fog billowed from his head as he stared at me with its bright blue eyes.

* * *

~KEN~

The first thing I noticed when I arrived to the Odaiba Elementary computer lab was that everybody was consumed by their thoughts of what happened yesterday. Iori was staring out the window and looking at any student that seemed to pass by. Miyako was on the computer murmuring about why our partners couldn't evolve. Takeru stared at his D-3 for a long time before glancing up towards Hikari, who was rubbing her tired eyes. As for Daisuke, he was late.

He burst into the room behind me and loudly laughed. "Sorry I'm late, everyone!" When he noticed everyone's serious expression he crossed his arms. "What's with everyone today?" Nobody answered him for a long while.

"Ken?" Wormmon looked up at me to break the silence. "Are we going to the Digital World again today?"

"Yeah, Wormmon."

"Do you think I'll be able to evolve today?"

The thoughts of yesterday had put my partner and I in a rather tight spot since both of us didn't have a Digimental. "Sorry, but maybe not," I sighed.

"This will be a big problem if there is something wrong with the Digital World!" Miyako cried as she pulled on Hawkmon's face.

"Yeah!" Daisuke agreed. "How are we supposed to fight if Ken and I can't Jogress V-mon and Wormmon into Imperialdramon!"

"I don't actually think there's anything wrong with the Digital World," Takeru said. He continued to inspect his D-3 as all of us stared at him incredulously. He finally looked up at us, confused by our reactions.

"What do you mean by that?" Daisuke exclaimed. "With all of the weird things happening, don't you think something is wrong?"

"That's not it. Something is wrong but I just meant that it's not just the Digital World that is going through problems." The blonde became uncomfortable speaking and did his best to levelly look at Hikari and me. "Hikari, Ken, have you two sensed anything strange from that _other_ world?" His question came from nowhere but the uncharacteristic seriousness in his eyes told me how important it was for me to respond.

* * *

~?~

I sat up in a daze and held onto my head. I had a slight headache and wanted to recover a bit before taking a look at my surroundings. When I moved my right arm, I noticed I was wearing a metal brace. Looking at my clothes, I realized they had changed on their own accord. Instead of my brown, vertically striped, long-sleeved sweater and tan jeans, I was wearing a grey shirt, greenish pants, a black belt, and a dark crimson bandana around my neck. My Digital World clothes… Does this mean I'm back?

I stood up and steadied myself. It took me a while, but I managed to locate my partner. "Hey, get up. We're in the Digital World. Huh? You've reverted into Child level."

The small purple dragon Digimon sat up and gave me a smile showing me he didn't mind. "Which Digital World are we in?" He immediately got up and started poking around the forest.

I slowly let the scenery sink in and frowned. "File Island…"

"Oh, so we're not home?" My partner found the thought interesting and tried to climb up a tree to get a better look. "Is this the world you came from?" His question brought a chill into my heart and I looked down. The Digimon noticed and came down. "Huh? Is something the matter? You're not going to treat me coldly again, are you?"

"No, sorry. I get bad memories here. Let's find a way back to our world." I smiled at him before we started down Infinity Mountain.

Before we could get far, four large Digimon surrounded us. My partner looked up towards them curiously. "The Holy Beasts! They're in this world, too?" He was about to greet them but I held him back.

Qinglongmon noticed my wariness and frowned at me. "It is good to see you well in your new world, but your return—"

"I've got it." I looked towards the ground bitterly before giving my partner a concerned look. "Is it Milleniumon?" The Holy Beasts shook their heads and I became slightly relieved. "Okay. What do I need to do to then?"

The four Digimon cleared a path and I noticed a blonde boy with a straw hat and fishing pole come up towards us. He smiled brightly at me before introducing himself. "So you're the Legendary Tamer! I'm Yellow."

* * *

TAICHI (15): Courage points to those who know what Digimon I was referencing as a replacement partner and the Easter Egg as to why!

YAMATO (15): Friendship points to those who know what my part referenced to with the song and dialogue with Gabumon.

SORA (15): I might as well join in. Love points to those who know what Pokemon I ran into.

JOU (16): Honestly, that's very childish of you three.

MIMI (14): Ah, let them have there fun, Jou. I'm glad I got to meet such cute Pokemon.

KOUSHIRO (14): Actually, I'm intrigued by all of this. I wonder what's going to happen next.

IXEN (?): Shouldn't you already know, Koushiro-san? Eh, bonus points to those who can figure out which Chosen Child will be paired with which Dex Holder. Extra bonus points to those who know who that last character is. Am I forgetting anything else?

? (15): Besides me? The reviews and final notes, Ixen.

IXEN (?): Oh, right. Thanks, Person-I-Will-Not-Name-Here. Author is very bad at scheduling times to write right now, so it would help if you review. That might speed things up as to when this story will be updated. Otherwise, Author will just surf around the Internet, play Dragon Nest, or play Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. Author already abandoned me so I don't want that happening to this story. Please review, but no flaming or trolling! Otherwise, I'm just going to publicly laugh and poke fun at your comments.


	3. VS Chosen Children

IXEN (Signature Colors Grey, Black): Welcome back. Finally the first episode of the Digital Pocket Monsters Special Adventure is here. Those first two are what you call pilots or something but that doesn't matter. What matters is that the adventure is about to begin.

RED (Red, White): That's right! Here is where it all starts! Us against the Chosen Children!

DAISUKE (Lightning Blue, Fiery Orange, Blue): That's not even fair. We can't evolve or Jogress while the Dex Holders get Ultimate Moves and whatnot! Does Author hate us?

IXEN (Grey, Black): No... Author is just being very meticulous and evil about the plot. She has to otherwise it wouldn't be a fun story. Besides that makes up for the fact that Pokemon and Digimon is not owned by Author. Now read on.

* * *

~RED~

The tension rose as we stood in three teams. Green, Gold, Sapphire, and Pearl stared off against Blue, Silver, Ruby, and Platinum. The three younger fire team members were nervously awaiting Blue, Silver, and Ruby's move. Platinum stared at them in wonder and decided to go along with what Blue had planned. Green sighed and stood in front of his team quietly to prevent them from doing anything rash.

"Wow!" Dia remarked in awe. "Everyone is having so much fun!"

I nervously smiled at him. "Uh… It's not usually like this. And do you know what's going on?" The younger boy seemed to have just woken up as he rubbed his eyes and stared at Emerald with a hungry glint in his eyes. "It seems as if you're not reading the air correctly."

"Huh?" Dia straightened up with a start and slowly thought it through. "The pressure is building up between fire and water." He suddenly jumped with a thought. "Maybe they're trying to create steam to make rice!" He yelled out towards his best friend. "Is that right, Pearl? Are we going to have fried rice later?"

"Dia! What are you saying at a time like this?" Pearl turned to look towards us, but that proved to be a mistake because a quick blast of water crashed into him. "Hey! That's not fair! Little Miss!"

"Sorry, Pearl. You left yourself open." Platinum giggled. "But Senior Blue was right. This is getting fun."

"That's right. All you have to do is listen to what I say. You'll learn a lot from me." Blue laughed before having Turtley blast water at Green.

"Annoying woman…" Green's Charizard unleashed an intense Flamethrower to counter the attack, resulting in a heavy steam cloud.

"Alright, an opening!" Taking advantage of her great sight and the steam cover, Sapphire followed up with a Blaze Kick.

"Not quite!" Ruby winked as he held his microphone up to speak. "Muddy Water!" He laughed a bit before giving Sapphire an apologetic look. "Sorry, but you have to remember our motto. 'Wit And Tact Earns Respect' in our team."

"Don't think we're done yet though!" Gold shouted. His Typhlosion erupted flames towards the Swampert but it was quickly quenched out by Silver's Surf. The water unfortunately washed over my explosive junior as well. "Hey! Silver! What's that for?"

"Things were getting a bit too heated and annoying. Be glad I did it." Silver coolly retreated to where Platinum and Ruby were waiting.

Pearl, Sapphire, and Gold were forced to sit out for the rest of the training game. Pearl crossed his arms and frowned. "So much for our strategy of 'Furiously Igniting' and 'Ravaging Enemies'. Who came up with this lame acronym anyways?"

"Hey, junior! Respect your Senior Gold's ideas! It took me forever to come up with something cool to match what Ruby and Senior Blue came up with!" Gold whacked Pearl's arm with his cue stick before calling out to Green. "Avenge us, Senior Green!"

Sapphire sprawled out over the grass. "Senior Red and his team still didn't use a single move."

She was right and I looked at the four grass Pokémon and three trainers waiting patiently. I finally smirked at them and nodded. "I guess it's our turn to act. Dia?"

The younger boy jumped off of his Torterra excitedly. "Roo! Leaf Storm!" A flurry of leaves spun around us, giving us the perfect cover. It worked with us in two ways: the leaves would protect us from attack and obscure what we were doing from Green and the water team.

"It looks like the game has finally begun," my rival remarked.

"Alright, team. All of us will blast Green with water once he has his back turned on us. I really want to see how he looks with his hair wet."

"Sis, can you smell that?" Silver looked towards us suspiciously but couldn't tell what we were up to.

"It's like a beautifully sweet perfume." Ruby took in the scent but opened his eyes with realization. "No! Duck for cover, Zuzu!" A hail of seeds shot towards the water team.

Those that did manage to evade the Bullet Seed were immediately shot down by Saur's Solar Beam. "It is too late, seniors! We have fallen into Senior Red's trap!" Platinum recalled her Empoleon from the front of their formation. She seemed disappointed in failing but she noticed Blue had evaded my attack by launching Turtley into the air with his water cannons. "We will leave the rest to you, Senior Blue!"

"Turtley! Full powered Hydro Pump!" Blue extended an arm towards us as her Blastoise shot the pressurized water towards us.

Green took the chance to take care of us from behind. "Charizard! Take them all down with Flamethrower!"

I quickly came up with a strategy to counter them. "Emerald!"

The boy nodded. "Leaf Storm!" The flurry of debris around us absorbed the attacks and gave us a chance to retaliate.

"Saur! Vine Whip!" My Pokémon grabbed Turtley and Charizard and set them up for Crystal and Diamond.

"Megapeon, Magical Leaf!" The attack made its way towards Blue's Blastoise as Dia shouted his command.

"Roo! Di—" Something quick cut through the air and hit Charizard squarely in the chest. "—a's Mach-One-and-Only Razor Leaf!"

Green returned his Pokémon and let out an annoyed grunt. He looked to his fiery juniors. The burning in his eyes made them all shiver before he looked to me. "One of these days, Red, I'll finally beat you." He glanced over at Dia. "I didn't expect only _one_ leaf though. You trained your Torterra well."

Pearl placed a hand over his heart and sighed. "I thought Senior Green was going to force us into a training regiment," he whispered to Sapphire.

"He _is_! Just don't complain or show fear. Otherwise, Senior Green will force us into a longer session."

"Stupid Silver! It's his fault that I'm going to have to train in wet clothes!"

"I could tailor some clothes for you guys if you want."

"Yes, it is our fault they are wet after all. Perhaps I can buy the material you need, Senior Ruby?"

"Keep your money, Platinum. It's not good to show the losers any mercy. Besides, Green was knocked out before me, placing us second. That's a relief because I expected us to be in last place."

"Well, our team is more balanced than them, Sis. There aren't any weak links between the four of us, but we do need a little work to become stronger. I didn't think we'd be able to overpower Red or Emerald anyways." Silver looked over at us while we were taking a breather.

I proudly looked at my team. "So that went well!"

Dia lifted both of his arms into the air triumphantly. "Yay! Now we get to eat!" He paused and looked between the water and fire teams. "Uh… do we have an acronym for our team?"

"It's not like we need one," Emerald remarked.

"I'm pretty sure Crystal came up with something though," I said, turning to the Johto trainer expectantly.

The girl went red and she nervously chuckled. "Well, it's not clever or anything. It's not even official. Do you have something in mind, Dia?"

The young boy thought about it for a while. "I'll make one up later," he said finally. "But what did you come up with, Senior Crystal?"

Crystal tried to remember. "Ganbarimashou. Reisei mama. Akiramenaide. Sore ga dekiru. Seikou suru. It means do our best, remain calm, never give up, we can do it, and succeed."

Gold laughed from where he was. "That's the lamest acronym ever, Super Serious Gal!"

"Well, I tried."

"Don't worry, Senior Crystal. I'll come up with something catchier!" Dia said with a smile. His stomach began growling and he laughed sheepishly.

"Okay, guys," I smirked, "Let's get lunch." Everybody started towards the picnic tables near the lab but I lagged behind. I looked out towards Route 1 and frowned. "Yellow isn't here yet," I remarked.

"That's odd." Blue snuck to my side and made me jump. "I told her to get here early. You should go over and check it out, Red. I'll help spiky with the rest of the juniors." She pushed me forward and I had no choice but to comply.

I sent out Aero and we took off. There was something strange about the atmosphere and I first noticed that it was colder than usual. In fact, I only made it halfway to Viridian City before I noticed some heavy clouds gathering around me. I shivered not only from the cold but from an odd thought.

Looking off into the distance, I noticed the forest was covered in a white blanket. My eyes widened and I felt the urge to return home. "Aero, hurry back to Pallet!"

The sight of the snow-topped forest was discerning. The fact that it was nearing the end of summer was even more worrying. I had to tell the others about this phenomenon.

Green looked up at me from his table and stood up. He made a motion to Blue and made his way towards me. I landed and turned my head towards the sky. The clouds had followed me here and it put me on edge.

"Viridian is covered in snow, Green."

"And the winds normally blow south from Cinnabar so the clouds coming down from Viridian is abnormal," he remarked.

"Well, what should we do?" I asked. "I say, we send everyone into the lab and check this out after the storm blows over."

"The weather is changing too rapidly for it to be a normal snow storm, Red, but I agree."

"Okay then!" I started running towards the others and called out for Blue. "Let's all head ins—" I found myself yelling against a strong wind as icy cold flakes drifted down from the sky.

Everybody was confused but understood my message so headed towards the laboratory. They didn't get far though because by the time Green and I caught up, something drew us away from the lab door and into a strange upside down waterfall.

* * *

~DAISUKE~

"It doesn't look like there's anything here," Yamato said.

I frowned and crossed my arms. "Well, Koushiro can't be wrong, can he? He said that the 'strange humans' spotted around the Digital World were supposed to be around this lake."

Jou sat by the water's edge and peered into the water expectantly. He jumped when Gomamon resurfaced. "Wah!" He took a few deep breaths before asking, "So did you see anything, Gomamon?"

The small Digimon shook his head. "Nothing but the fish and they said that they haven't seen any humans enter here. They did spot a bunch of colorful comets crash down in that direction though!" He pointed a flipper towards the forest."

V-mon and I looked at each other skeptically. "That's not very helpful," my partner said and I agreed.

Ken thought about it carefully. "Well, maybe not, but it's a lead." He paused when his D-Terminal chimed. "Oh, it's from Takeru. They haven't found anything yet but are currently in the forest, tracking some more strange creatures."

Yamato nodded. "Okay. Taichi must not be done with his group so we'll—" He stopped midsentence as we heard a roar from within the forest. "Gabumon!" My senior sent out his partner as everyone else followed suit.

Nothing came out at us but looking up above the trees we could see two large flying creatures. One had a burning tail while the other had a pointed arrow. They resembled dragons from where we stood but they didn't seem dangerous. They weren't fighting each other, just flying around in circles.

"That's the direction Gomamon pointed towards," Wormmon remarked.

"Then it's settled. Let's go!" I jumped.

"Not yet," Yamato said as he pulled me back. "We don't know what's waiting for us there."

"It should just be an abandoned village," Ken said. He thought about it carefully. "I remember visiting this portion of the Digital World and there were a few abandoned areas due to everyone moving towards the Digital Chinatown or closer towards the lake."

Jou quickly sent a message to Taichi and nodded. "Okay, so let's go, Yamato. Taichi says he's going to meet us halfway."

"Alright! We'd better hurry then!" I started off into the woods after Yamato released me.

We managed to catch up with Taichi, Mimi, Miyako, and Iori and it wasn't long before we saw the village through the trees. I had taken up the lead with Miyako and Iori behind me since our Digimon were the only ones able of evolving. I went at a fast pace and I think I somehow lost everybody behind me. I slowed down but immediately stopped when I saw a strange boy skateboarding through the woods.

He was tall and wore a red hooded jacket and a pair of skinny black shorts. His gold eyes flashed in determination as he sped up after the Gottsumon he was chasing. He had a billiard cue in one hand and a ball in the other which he set up to launch from on top of his board. The Digimon panicked and crashed into what I thought was a tree. The plant suddenly came to life and hugged the Gottsumon tightly. "You're not getting away this time! Good job, Sutaro!" He carefully aimed the ball and was about to shoot when I sent V-mon in.

"V-mon Head!" My partner crashed into the giant tree, causing the boy to miss his shot.

He stood up in surprise and let out a frustrated yell. "Hey! What's going on?" He noticed the rest of us watching and blinked. "You just cost me a great capture!"

"You were going to capture that Gottsumon?" I asked suspiciously.

"Yeah! Senior Green said to. What's the problem? If it's free, it's anyone's game. And you totally cost me a good capture!" He pointed at V-mon with his cue.

"Hey! Don't point that thing at me!" My partner pushed the cue aside.

"Woah! Did you just talk?" He looked at V-mon then back to his tree. The tree shrugged so the boy glared at me as I went to back up my partner. "So since you're his trainer, I guess it's your fault I lost out on the capture."

"So what if it was? You can't just capture anything you see here!"

"Like I said, it's fair game for everyone! And Senior Green said that we need to capture as much as possible."

"Well then I'll just have to stop you!" I gripped my D-3 tightly. "Digimental Up!"

"V-mon, armor evolve! Flaming Courage, Fladramon!"

"Huh? Your… thing just transformed." He frowned and took out a ball. His tree disappeared into it and he picked out another from his belt. "Then I'll just have to switch! Go, Explotaro!"

A giant beast towered over us and glared at us. I shivered but didn't want to show that I was intimidated. Suddenly it roared and flames erupted from the back of its neck causing me to jump back.

"Daisuke!" I turned around and saw that everybody else had managed to catch up. Iori noticed me on the ground with Fladramon ready to fight. "Digimental Up!"

"Armadimon, armor evolve! Steel Knowledge, Digmon!"

Ken helped me up as both Digimon charged the giant fiery bear. "Are you okay? Taichi and Yamato shouted for you to not go so far ahead, but I guess you managed to find the enemy."

I nodded as everyone else arrived. "He said that some guy named Green is trying to capture the Digimon. I don't know what for, but either way, we've got to stop them."

Taichi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that may be so but don't forget you need us too." He turned to Agumon. "Let's go help, Agumon!"

"Right, Taichi!" The small dinosaur charged forward with the other Digimon and surrounded the boy.

"Arg! I can't believe things have come to this. I guess we have to give up…" He seemed to be in despair but then he made a face at me. "Not!" He looked towards his creature. "Explotaro, use _that_ move! Blast Burn!"

The boy ducked as intense fire erupted from the back of his creature. It then exploded the flames towards us, causing our Digimon to scatter. It mainly aimed the attack towards Palmon but the wide range of the blast was enough to cause a panic amongst them as they tried to dodge it.

The boy used the confusion to get out of the mess. He whirled past me on his skateboard and I had no chance to react. When I finally did let it sink that he was escaping, I chased after him. "Come back here!"

"Daisuke! Wait for us!" Yamato shouted. "It won't do you much good if he uses that attack directly at you on your own."

My eyes widened when I knew he was right. That one attack caused a lot of damage and it would be better for us to stick together rather than for me to chase after him recklessly. I nodded and waited for everyone to get ready.

Jou made sure none of us were badly hurt and gave us the okay. "Be careful. He's probably long gone, but we don't know if he has allies around here."

I nodded and checked if V-mon was okay. "How are you holding up?"

"I'll be fine, Daisuke. Next time, I'll get him for sure!"

"Just tell me if you need a breather, okay?" Something in my head clicked as I said those words. I had a feeling of déjà vu and thought I might have fought that guy before. I couldn't remember or be sure but that fiery bear did resemble something I must have seen before.

We finally reached the village and noticed a group of kids awaiting our arrival. The boy with gold eyes smirked at me as we approached. "Now you're in for it. Senior Green expected you to come after me so we set up a trap!"

A boy with cool green eyes and spiky brown hair stood in front of him with his arms crossed. He cast a glance upwards and the dragon creature we spotted earlier descended to his side. On our left, boy with red hair appeared on top of a giant blue alligator monster. On our right, two blonde boys stood with a burning monkey and a tall green lizard with sharp leaf-like blades. And behind us, a ball fell from the sky, releasing a large four-legged beast with a flower blooming from its back. Its master was a boy with spiky black hair, floating above us with a giant grey pterodactyl carrying him.

The boy flying above us smiled down at us as he looked at each of us with his red eyes. "It's six against eight but I can see Gold did a number on you. Green and I don't really fight people who are at a disadvantage so those of you who wish to sit out and give up now can choose to do so." His bright smile suddenly became serious. "Otherwise, we won't hold back."

Given the situation, Jou had to force Gomamon to sit out. Without water around, they wouldn't be able to fight. Mimi also had to let Palmon take a break too since her Digimon took most of that previous fire attack. The two raised their arms in the air to surrender and the flying boy nodded for them to be allowed into the village where another boy was waiting.

This boy seemed about Taichi's age but for some reason it looked like he had white hair. He fixed his red headband and welcomed Mimi and Jou. "Welcome to our camp. I'm in the middle of beautifying it but since the others will be in battle, I will be serving as medic since our usual Healer is not here." He was extremely dramatic but suddenly eyes his turned sharp and focused as he held a ball readily in his hand. "Since you have surrendered, I will need any devices you may have and you will not be able to aid your friends. Will you be okay with this?"

Shocked by his change of attitude, Mimi and Jou reluctantly handed over their D-Terminals and Digivices. Even though Taichi and Yamato knew they had no choice but to sit out, we couldn't help but feel as thought we were stuck in a really bad situation with them having our Digivices. We would have to win or else they'd leave us without the gadgets that defined us as Chosen Children.

When the boy with white hair was satisfied, he waved towards the boy still flying in the air. "Okay, Senior Red. I'll be taking them to Senior Blue now. Don't take too long." He started to leave and had his two prisoners follow him into the rundown village. "We still need to be on the lookout for Dia and his scavenging team."

There were more of them? My eyes widened when I remembered Hikari and her team were still out there. If they met with these people, they'd be in as much danger as us if they were to get into a fight. I calmed myself down because I knew that the last team was strong too. Sora, Koushiro, Takeru, and Hikari have been through worse situations so I'm sure they'd find a way. All I had to focus on now was surviving this fight.

I gripped my D-3. "V-mon, we have to win!"

"That's right," Iori nodded. "We can't hold back, Armadimon!"

Miyako gulped as she looked at the large creatures. "Everybody is counting on us to lead them, Hawkmon."

The three of us looked to each other and prepared ourselves for the intense battle. "Digimental Up!"

* * *

~DIAMOND~

I found more fruits and picked a few before hurrying back to where Crystal was. "Are these ones safe to eat?" I handed her the samples and she knelt down by her Parasect.

"Let's see." She fed the fruit to her Pokémon and it checked the food for any toxins. When the Pokémon didn't react, she looked at the fruit carefully. "I guess it is safe." She straightened up and frowned as Platinum and Sapphire gathered a lot more fruits that we had deemed edible. "I would expect a lot more unsafe foods in a strange forest like this."

"Does this mean we have to still check things before we pick them?" I asked. I really wanted to eat something and I didn't really mind what. I was just extremely hungry at this point.

"I do not think that would be wise, Diamond," Platinum said to me. "If you are hungry, you may eat what we have picked but be sure to save some for the others."

"Really?" I looked at our seniors hopefully.

Sapphire nodded. "Well we've been picking fruit for hours. Why not? I'm hungry too!"

Crystal smiled at us. "I guess we could use a break."

"Yay!" I immediately picked out one of each fruit and began munching on them. I had too much with me though so one fell from my load and bounced away from me. "Ah! Come back!" I dropped the rest in our pile and gave chase.

The girls didn't notice but Beh saw me. He waved at me to let me know he would notify them if they wanted to look for me. I smiled and waved back before going back on my mission of chasing after the strange fruit.

It finally stopped bouncing when it hit a patch of wild mushrooms. As I picked the fruit up, I eyed the mushrooms curiously. I picked one and smelled it. I wonder if it's safe to eat. I contemplated bringing it back to Crystal but I was too hungry to walk back and ask. Plus, I was rather far from where the girls were so it would take too long.

I opened my mouth and was about to take a bite, but a small orange ball crashed into me, forcing me to drop it. "Oomph! Don't eat that!" I stared at the small creature that crashed into me. It was a hamster with a cream colored underbelly and bat-like wings for ears. He stared at me with childish blue eyes before flying up. "You can't eat everything you see in the Digital World. Those were Mushrooms of Forgetfulness! One bite and you would have lost all of your memories."

"Oh…" I quickly dropped the mushrooms with newfound distaste and wiped my hand on my vest. I paused when I registered he had said two words I had heard before in a dream. "Is this the Digital World?" I asked.

"Yup! I'm Patamon!" He smiled at me before looking at me oddly. "You didn't know that?"

I shook my head. "I'm not from here. But since I _am_ here, do you know who Takeru is?"

"Patamon!" I heard the blonde's voice and turned to face the tall boy. I gave him a smile as he finally saw me. "Dia?"

Behind him, there were three other people with Digimon. They both looked at the blonde oddly. The girl with brown hair studied me carefully. "Do you know him, Takeru?"

"Yeah, we met in a dream in the… I didn't expect him to be… I hoped that he was but…" Worry flashed in his eyes but he hid it with a smile. "I'm glad to finally meet you in person, Diamond." He pointed to each of his friends. "These are Hikari, Tailmon, Sora, Piyomon, Koushiro, and Tentomon. I see you've met Patamon."

"That's right! He was going to eat those mushrooms, Takeru."

I looked down out of embarrassment. "I was extremely hungry and curious." I chuckled and gave them my biggest smile. "I'm Diamond! But everybody calls me Dia."

"Well, it's great to meet you, Dia." Koushiro said. "Did you come to the Digital World on your own?"

I shook my head. "I came with all of my Pokémon and friends." My eyes widened when I remembered my task. "The others! I have to get back. The others might be hungry! Pearl might be worried about me and the Lady!" I jumped at a thought. "The Lady might be in danger in the Digital World!" I turned around and started back to where the girls were but I saw Platinum standing with Beh. They were looking for me. When she spotted me she instantly smiled and came down. "Lady!"

"There you are, Diamond. Senior Crystal asked me to look for you. It appears as though we have gathered enough food, so we are returning to the camp where the other seniors and Pearl await." She noticed the people behind me. "Oh? And who are these people?"

I introduced them. "Takeru and I met before and these are his friends. They actually know a lot about where we ended up, Lady!"

"I see," she said with a small smile. "Perhaps we should invite them to come with us so Senior Green may learn of what they know too?"

"That's a good idea," Koushiro said. "If we can meet with your friends, we'll be able to call the rest of our friends to come and work out what might be wrong."

Sora nodded. "It doesn't hurt to have more allies."

Hikari took out a small device and began typing something. "I'll send a message to Big Brother. He sent me a message earlier about meeting up with your brother, Takeru. Yamato and he will set out to scout an area where they believe enemies are."

"Enemies?" I looked around us carefully to make sure I could protect Platinum at any sign of attack.

"It's probably a false alarm, but that's why we've been patrolling the Digital World lately. We haven't found much but we hope to have things resolved without too many problems," Koushiro reassured us.

I nodded and looked towards Platinum. "We should go see Seniors Crystal and Sapphire now."

"Yes, we must not keep them waiting."

We hurried back and picked up the fruits we picked. Takeru and his friends helped us even though they didn't have to. All of our Pokémon were already helping but I guess we managed to pick a lot so we were grateful for the extra hands. We got closer to the camp before I heard something.

It sounded a lot like fighting and I heard some of our seniors shouting out attack commands. As we entered the camp, I saw Ruby rush out of an abandoned building with a Poké Ball out and ready. He eased up when he saw us. "Sapphire! Senior Crystal! Juniors!" He sighed in relief. "I thought it was more… Never mind! Senior Blue set up a place for us to store food. Sapphire, Platinum, the two of you will be needed out on the other side for a battle. I don't know what's taking so long, so check it out." The two girls nodded and Ruby spotted the four others with us. "Hm? Who are you four?"

"Friends of mine!" I chirped happily. "By the way, Senior Ruby, what are you doing in that building?" I remembered there were prison bars in that particular building when we first scouted out for a base camp.

"Guarding two prisoners," he sighed.

"You've found the enemy?" Sora asked and went into check. "Mimi! Senior Jou!"

"Oh, you know them?" Ruby asked. "Then why are the others…?"

Takeru and Hikari looked at each other in alarm. "Big Brother!" They rushed to the other side of town and I hurried after them.

"This is bad! Everybody's fighting the wrong enemy!" I cried.

"Don't worry. We just have to stop them!" Takeru said in determination. "Digimental Up!"

"Patamon, armor evolve! Flying Hope, Pegasmon!"

"Lee!" I called my Lickilicky out. "Power Whip!" Using the force of the attack and his tongue as a rope, we swung through the city after the blonde and towards the battle between the Dex Holders and Chosen Children.

* * *

~GOLD~

Hasty Boy had his entire team out to create a pen for the defeated losers. Green Clone and Mr. Rock Star appeared to be the leaders but they didn't put up much of a fight with the small wolf thing and mini dinosaur they had. They along with the purple haired kid were pretty much the first to lose and their pets, I guess, were turned back into small ball-shaped creatures and a cocoon-pinecone bug.

Green and Red decided to stop and leave the rest to Silver, Emerald, and me. Green wanted to study their fighting patterns and compare it to ours while Red returned to doing an air patrol over our camp.

Silver finished off the annoying drill bug with an Earthquake and recalled his Feraligatr. "Now if you excuse me, I need to see Sis." He returned back into the village and smirked at me. "You should hurry up, Gold. Even your junior finished before you."

He was right because at that moment, Emerald cinched his victory with a Leaf Blade against the leafy ninja that was jumping everywhere. "Piece of cake!"

"Miyako, Iori!" The Goggle Brat clenched his teeth as he was the only one left. He eyed me since it looked like Explotaro and I were to be his opponent. "Fladramon, give it all you've got. We're going to settle the score here!"

"Not likely, but let's see if you can defeat the Grand Hatcher Gold!" I let out a furious and energetic roar. "Flame Wheel!"

Our opponent wrapped himself up in flames and rocketed towards us. "Fire Rocket!"

Both crashed into each other and I was forced to bring my arms up to shield my face. When I looked up, both were still standing and were now having a wrestling contest. I smirked though because I held the advantage. Our target was in a prime location to taste the full power of our Ultimate Technique.

I let out one more roar. "Blast Burn!"

The lizard pushed Explotaro away but the attack was already charging up. "Gold, stop the attack!" I heard Red's voice above me and looked up.

In the air, I saw him with a boy riding a golden winged horse. The boy called out towards the Goggle Brat. "Daisuke! They aren't the enemy!"

Those words slowly sank in as I looked back down and saw Chef Slowpoke getting in between Explotaro and the blue fire lizard. My eyes widened and I ran towards my Typhlosion. "Explotaro!"

"Dia!" Pearl started for his best friend even though there was nothing he could do.

The flames erupted from my Pokémon's back and I closed my eyes, wishing the seconds would tick backwards, or at least slow enough for even Diamond to dodge the attack.

* * *

IXEN (Grey, Black): Ooh, a cliffhanger. Why am I not surprised?

DIAMOND (Blue Grey, Light Blue, Steel Blue): No! I don't want to be a roast Slowpoke.

IXEN (Grey, Black): That reference and joke was just uncalled for...

GOLD (Gold, Black): Pwahaha! What do you mean uncalled for? It fits Chef Slowpoke. And by the way, why is my part so short!? Even Goggle Brat had a longer part than me. I don't mind Red-sempai, but come on! I'm cooler than Goggle Brat!

IXEN (Grey, Black): That's enough, Gold-san. You're starting the next chapter anyways to make up for that. So if anyone wants to know what happens next sooner, review. Remember, each review guarantees at least a day of Author not being lazy.


	4. Divided Trusts Breaks the Digital World

YELLOW (Birthdate March 3): Ah! I make my return this chapter. I will do my very best with my role!

IXEN (January 1): Um... Do you best, Yellow-san. This chapter was finished earlier than expected. The 2 weeks of required work wasn't even enforced. Oh well, that just means that Author will have to use that week for the next chapter since I don't really enjoy this one.

TAICHI (N/A): But I guess that can't be helped since Denthasus doesn't own Pokemon or Digimon. By the way, why don't you just use the author's penname or even real name, Ixen?

IXEN (January 1): Because I hate Author with a passion for abandoning me and saying her name would be like Daisuke actually using honorifics when addressing Takeru... Be glad I'm actually supporting Author's current work with this story. Now read on.

* * *

~GOLD~

"Gold, stop the attack!" Red's words came too late as Explotaro already unleashed Ultimate Fire Technique on our new junior.

"Dia!" Pearl moved towards the flames but everything moved so slowly. I hoped it was slow enough for the kid to get out of the way, but even I knew that time would still be too fast for the funny man of the duo.

I clenched my eyes shut and prepared myself for the consequences but a surprisingly quick command from Chef Slowpoke turned things around.

"Me First!" he cried childishly. I looked back up towards the one-sided attack and noticed a pink blob was returning Explotaro's Blast Burn.

Both attacks died down and Pearl was left weak-kneed. He collapsed to the ground with a sigh of relief. When he recovered enough, he stood back up and yelled angrily at his slow friend. "What were you thinking, Dia!? You could have gotten killed!"

"I wanted to stop the fight." Dia opened his arms and let out a bright smile. "We're all friends after all!"

"Friends?" I asked and looked at Goggle Brat. "There's no way I could ever be friends with a brat like him! He started it!"

"I was just doing my job of protecting the Digital World!" Goggle Brat yelled back. "If anything you're not supposed to be here!"

"Why you!?" I grabbed him by his fiery jacket.

"Gold, put him down." I didn't listen at first, but I then realized it was Green so did as I was told.

"You can't seriously trust them, can you, Senior Green?" I asked.

"Well, why not?" Red landed beside me and offered his hand out to the others who Pearl was watching over. "We should give them a chance and the benefit of the doubt." He smiled at the Green Clone. "Sorry about that. I'm Red by the way. First thing we need to do is to clear up this misunderstanding."

Green Clone nodded and smiled back. "My name is Taichi. And I guess some of the misunderstanding stemmed from us attacking first." He looked over at Goggle Brat sternly.

"It wasn't my fault, Senior Taichi!" Goggle Brat looked at me. "He was trying to capture a Digimon with those weird monster balls."

"That was because Senior Green told me to! He was going to figure out what these strange creatures were because there was nothing in our Pokédex about them!" I cried.

"How was I supposed to know that!? The Digimon here are free-roaming so if anybody captures them, it probably means they're up to no good!"

"And how was I supposed to know that? I'm not even from here, so if I see a weird creature, I capture it like a trainer is supposed to do."

The two of us furiously glared at each other and it took a while for Red to calm me down. "Well, it looks like I'll have to tell Ruby to let your two friends go."

"Already did," the beauty-obsessed boy arrived with the others. "Platinum, Sapphire, and Senior Crystal explained the situation when Dia ran off." He looked at the charred battleground and frowned. "You must have had quite a battle, Senior Red."

"No, that was all Gold," Red said with a smile. "But that gave you enough data on how our moves work, right, Green?"

Green closed his eyes and nodded. "I suggest we don't use the Ultimate Techniques unless absolutely necessary. Typhlosion appears to be about ready to faint."

Surprised, I went to inspect Explotaro. Using Blast Burn twice in a day in this strange world put him in bad shape. I felt bad so recalled him for a long rest. "You did a great job, partner." I looked around and wondered if there was a place I could recover energy at. "Is there a Pokémon Center or something around here?"

"Gold, it's not like we're in our own world," Crystal stated. "I have some potions you can use later, but we've got to conserve our supplies."

"Supplies? You won't need them here," a boy my age with blue hair said. "We can just go back to our world and get food."

"There's another world that is connected to this one?" Sapphire didn't understand and neither did I for that matter.

"We'll explain on the way," a boy with short red hair said. He was carrying a yellow laptop on his back but nobody seemed to think it was strange. "First, we need to bring you to where we live. The closest way out is just a short distance from here." He pointed towards the south and closed his laptop.

Red and Green looked at each other. The brown-haired boy nodded and Red took the lead. "Okay, let's get ready. Grab your things and we'll be ready. Crys' team picked some fruit so make sure to pack up most of it with us."

Green Clone looked to his group and shrugged. "We should help. If anything, it helps to be prepared, right?" He smiled down at his orange dinosaur. "Come on, Agumon."

Everybody returned to the village but I stayed behind. Green didn't move at all either until everyone else was gone. I looked up at my senior and frowned. "You don't trust them, do you, Senior Green?"

"Not yet, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt. As for your blunder, expect an hour more to be tacked onto your training regimen."

I jumped at that but Green already started to follow the others, leaving me with no chance to argue against it. I glared at the ground and kicked at the dirt. I really hate this place and that Goggle Brat.

* * *

~KOUSHIRO~

"It's just right up ahead," I pointed out as we neared the mini television.

When it was finally in sight, the boy wearing a baseball cap and goggles frowned in disappointment. "This is it? It doesn't seem like much."

"Maybe, but it's important to us. That's the only way we can get home," Takeru said as he stepped up to see if he could open the gate. When nothing happened he looked at Miyako worriedly.

She knelt down and had a look for herself what was wrong, but gave me a look that told me we couldn't connect to the computer lab. "I can't find Jun on any channel."

Daisuke crossed his arms. "I knew it was a bad idea to let my sister be in charge of watching the lab." He reached into his pocket for his D-Terminal. "Let's see…" He spent a few minutes sending her a message then waited for a reply. "Jun says that the computer can't connect to the gate."

Mimi went over to the computer. "Does that mean the gate to America is closed too?"

I turned on my laptop and got to work on the portal. "Let me see if I can fix it. There's no way we can be stuck in the Digital World again!"

Everyone sat around me in small groups. Both of our teams were slightly apart from each other except for the few who easily got along with each other. There were two people who were watching me, but I didn't mind. One was the girl who had been with Dia when Takeru introduced him to us. I didn't know her true name, but I guess the title as lady fit. The other was the green-eyed boy with spiky hair and a red-orange dragon following him. Whether it was his true name or just a code they used, everybody referred to him as Green.

"This is a rather interesting program. What is it that you are doing?" Lady asked me.

"I'm trying to see if there is any type of interference that is preventing us from connecting to the computer we came from. So far, I don't see anything strange. Can you please read me the numbers coming up on the sidebar?"

"Five, eleven, fifty-three, forty-one, twenty-five."

I shook my head when the numbers didn't match the signal the television was receiving. "The portal is connecting to a different place altogether." I looked over at Daisuke and Jou. "Jou, I need Shuu to take a look at the computer in the lab. Daisuke, let Jun know that we'll need her to cover for some of us with our parents. I don't know how long we'll be stuck here, but it's better to have a story prepared so our families won't worry too much about us."

"It's that bad, huh?" Taichi said. "Well, I guess there's nothing else we can do."

"So this means all of us are stuck here," the boy with the red and white baseball cap stated. He looked to his friends. "If there's nothing to do, we might as well train then." He looked over at Green. "Will you be joining us, Green?"

The boy shook his head. "I'll just stay here, Red. But I want Gold to run an hour training session against Machamp, Scizor, and Charizard." He glanced at his dragon and sent out a four-armed wrestler and a crimson red insect creature. The three nodded and surrounded Gold, causing the younger boy to gulp.

Many of the trainers left towards a clearing while everyone else watched. Lady returned my laptop to me and went on to train a small white and blue squirrel against Red's yellow mouse. I watched for a while before tuning the noise out.

Eventually, it became evening in the Digital World and we were still stuck. I rubbed my eyes because we were getting nowhere. Jou finally received a message back from his brother and the news wasn't good. "How can the computer have no gate? We've been using that computer all year to gain entrance to the Digital World."

Tentomon sighed but jumped when we felt something close to an earthquake. "What was that?" he asked.

The trainers looked amongst each other. A girl wearing a blue bandana placed an ear to the ground. "I felt smaller tremors while we were training but we stopped an hour ago so it's not us. It feels pretty unnatural."

The boy beside her frowned and fixed his knit cap. "But I can tell it's not due to a Pokémon's move. Could it be an attack?" His hand moved closer to a ball as he looked around us cautiously.

All of us were silent for a while until my computer received an alert. Tentomon quickly handed me the laptop. "Koushiro, you've got a message from Gennai."

I straightened up at that. "Really?" I pulled it up and was surprised to see it was a video call. "Gennai!" It took me a while but I noticed something was different with the digital anomaly. "You seem different, Gennai."

All of the Chosen Children looked towards me and gathered behind me. "I know, Koushiro. I just sensed a change in the Digital World. Are you all on File Island?"

We all looked at each other oddly. "No, we're on Server Continent."

Gennai seemed worried with our answer but noticed the other people with us. "And those are?"

"Dex Holders," Red stepped forward. "We're not from their world or this world." He looked at his friends. "We're trying to find a way home."

"I see…" Gennai thought about it carefully. "I suppose I must look into this further. Children, please come visit me in my home immediately. There is much to discuss. As usual, just follow the light and hurry." The call ended and we all looked up.

A searchlight appeared in the distance and we started for it. Many of the trainers didn't move yet so I paused and looked at them. "There's nothing to worry about. Gennai is a person we definitely trust."

Green studied me carefully, his intense stare causing me to shiver. He said nothing but nodded for those around him to get going. He passed me and walked over to Red who was wondering what he was doing. Iori saw the entire thing and came back to speak with me.

"I don't trust them, Koushiro," he stated seriously. "The way they battled and trained earlier, it reminded me of how the Kaiser used to pit the Digimon against each other. And their whole idea of capturing creatures in those balls and keeping them indefinitely doesn't seem very trustworthy."

"Yes, but I think it is all so very intriguing. Besides, their creatures just might be similar to those we've been encountering everywhere."

Armadimon looked up at his partner. "We can't just judge them by what they are used to and how they act in contrast to us, Iori."

Tentomon nodded. "And Koushiro, you shouldn't get off track. Everyone else is leaving us behind."

I noticed he was right and looked towards Iori. "Let's hurry!"

The younger boy nodded and went ahead. As I started to take off, I heard static coming from the TV and looked back. There were blurry shapes taking form but since the signals were scrambled and everybody else was already so far ahead, I decided to ignore it.

* * *

~YELLOW~

I did my best to keep up with the boy who was guiding me through the Digital World. He didn't seem to want to be here, but when I asked about it he gave me a warm smile and said it was nothing. His partner Digimon was a small purple dragon who was very friendly to me. Monodramon and Ryo… The two had the same bond I had with all of my Pokémon and just seeing that made me trust them immediately.

Ryo said he's been here before while Monodramon thought it was cool compared to the Digital World they were from. So there were a lot more Digital Worlds, but where exactly were we?

I thought back to the day before the Dex Holders' Reunion. The giant turtle turned out to be Ebonwumon and he asked me to return with him to his world where I could help with something. I couldn't say no, but I didn't even get a chance to tell the others. They must be worried about me not showing up and Blue even went through the trouble of calling me so I wouldn't be late.

This was important though. The others would understand when I meet up with them once again. The first thing I had to do though was learn as much as I can about the Digital World from Ryo. I had to learn the differences between my healing powers at home and here. It was a bit difficult but I had to quickly master my ability or else Ryo and I wouldn't be able to go home. It didn't help that I get extremely tired after using my abilities for long periods of time.

I was even more tired now as we hiked up the mountain. "Infinity Mountain," Ryo told me at the base. "This is the iconic mountain of File Island. A lot of adventures begin here and they all end on the mountain. Let's hurry."

By now, the sky was already getting dark. I wanted to collapse out of exhaustion but that would do us no good because if I did, I would have slept until noon the next day. I yawned and checked to see if Chuchu was okay. My friend was able to keep up but seemed worried about me.

"It's okay, Chuchu. Just a little farther. I'll keep going until then." I looked up ahead and noticed Ryo was getting farther away from me. I hurriedly ran after him and slowed down when I caught up.

Ryo didn't seem to notice since he was lost in his thoughts. He stared far out ahead and Monodramon became worried. "Ryo?"

"Hm?"

"You haven't said anything during the entire hike. I'm tired. Aren't you?"

"Mm…"

"Can we stop?" When the boy didn't answer, Monodramon stopped walking. "You're acting cold again," the Digimon said sadly.

That snapped Ryo from his trance and he turned to look at us. He gave us an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I was thinking of something. It looks like we've gone pretty far today. Do you want to stop?"

"How much farther is it until the peak?" I asked.

The boy looked up. "Not far. In fact, if we spend another thirty minutes, we'll be able to get there in just a day."

I let out an exhausted sigh but remembered all of the training I had to go through when Red was missing. I had to get stronger so I could see him and the others again. "Okay, let's go. There's no point in stopping now if we're so close to our goal."

We were about to start again when we heard a roar nearby. I readied my fishing pole but Ryo placed an arm out in front of me. "It's just the resident Digimon fighting each other. There's no need to bother them."

I nodded and followed him again as he took the lead. Although we only had a short break, I was feeling reenergized because I knew our destination was only just a short distance away from when we first started. I looked up at Ryo and decided it was a chance to learn as much as I can about the Digital World and why we were climbing the mountain.

He thought over his answers carefully before answering. "The Digital World is a place for dreams to come true. I've been to many Digital Worlds before and all of them seem to hold that trait in common. The Digital World is connected to a human world where only humans and animals live. There is no such thing as a Digimon since they only exist here."

"That's completely unlike where I'm from," I said. "Humans and Pokémon live together. We don't know everything about Pokémon but that's why people like Professor Oak study Pokémon. That's why he created the Pokédex!" I held out my very old Pokédex for Ryo to see. I stared at it with determination. "He wanted trainers to be able to bond with Pokémon."

"That seems to work just like my D-Arc," he reached into his pocket and showed me the small device. It resembled a Pokégear but was bulkier and had a slot built into its side. "This is what shows that I'm a Tamer. Not just any Tamer though, Monodramon's Tamer."

"So there are a lot more Tamers in this world?"

He paused and thought about it. "Actually no. I'm the only Tamer in this world. In the world Monodramon and I have been living in, there are a lot more Tamers with their own Digimon. In this world, there are Chosen Children. They have a machine completely different from my D-Arc known as a Digivice. They have the same basic function of analyzing and evolving Digimon."

"Huh? Pokémon evolve on their own. The Pokédex have a function to prevent evolution." I looked down at my Pokémon clipped to my belt and let out an embarrassed laugh. "I didn't want my Pokémon to evolve so used it a lot, but when they finally did evolve, they helped me through a tough situation."

"Is that so?" Ryo smiled at me.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I thought that once they evolved, they wouldn't be the same friend I had. But they're no different and I know that now. A lot of trainers collect Pokémon to train and become strong. I collect Pokémon to make friends so it was a shock at first when they changed. But everyone is still the same so we'll always be friends." Chuchu smiled up at me and I picked her up.

Ryo stared at me for a long time before looking up towards the sky. "You're really kind, Yellow. It reminds of a small boy I once knew." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before resuming his explanation of the Digital World.

There was a lot that I didn't understand but I did learn that the Digimon were important to him and many other humans. It was just like how the Pokémon mean a lot to me and my friends. As a Tamer, he trained and battled Digimon while trainers did the same. Ryo explained it easily and I tried to keep up with each word he spoke.

Eventually, we made it to the top and he finished telling me about the human world and how it was different from the Digital World. "The human world is a lot more advanced, but the technology that people develop helped to create the Digital World. The origins of each Digital World are unique, but stem closely to the human world. Since both are tied, if anything happens to one world, there will be consequences for the other." We stopped walking and he looked at me sternly. "That is why we will have to act if something is wrong. I might not know how your world is involved, but will you fight too?"

I nodded with determination. "I'm not good at battling and I don't like fighting, but I will anyways. As the Healer, I have to do what I can."

He smiled at me in relief. "It's good to hear that because now I know I won't have to rely solely on myself like the last time I was here. From now on, we'll be partners." He offered out a hand and I shook it.

I looked at him curiously. When we met and on our way up, he was distracted and lost in thought. Now, he seemed more open and like a refreshing ray of light. "The last time you were here, did something happen?"

Ryo nodded gravely. "But that no longer matters. What does matter is finding the source of this signal that keeps showing up on my D-Arc." He pointed at the red dot that was blinking.

We heard another roar and this time, Monodramon jumped up and prepared for battle. I did the same with Chuchu and was surprised when a large man with a lion's head came out with a small sword out. "What are you doing on Infinity Mountain?" He saw that we were children and re-sheathed his weapon. "So you are humans. Are you Chosen Children?"

"Chosen Children?" I repeated before remembering Ryo telling me something about them earlier.

"Yes," Ryo quickly replied. He raised his D-Arc. "Are you a friend? Or an enemy?" He was being very cautious and I could see why. The giant beast seemed to be strong enough to overpower Monodramon and most of my Pokémon. It didn't help that it has been a while since I was in a battle.

"A friend. My name is Leomon and I protect the weak and powerless of File Island. I was in the Village of Beginnings when I sensed a dark presence within the peak of Infinity Mountain."

Ryo looked at his D-Arc curiously. "Is that what's showing up on my screen?" He turned to me after a while. "We definitely need to check it out now."

"Let's go, Chuchu!" We went down the direction towards where Ryo pointed and paused when we saw a giant gold pyramid pointing out of the ground. "What is that?" I placed a hand on it and quickly retracted it when I felt a cold menacing presence.

"It is not a Dark Tower that has plagued the Digital World until recently," Leomon replied. "I cannot sense life so it is not a Digimon. Strange, I feel a life force around here filled with hatred."

Monodramon began growling and seemed prepared to destroy it. "Ryo…"

"No, Monodramon. Not yet." Ryo calmly studied it and placed a hand on it. He knocked on it and frowned. "It's hollow, but I don't know what it could be." It shifted suddenly causing Ryo to jump back. "Should we destroy it, Yellow?"

"I think so. It feels dark and evil," I answered.

"Okay," he nodded. "Let's go, Monodramon!"

"Thunderbolt!" I cried. Chuchu ran forward and let out a charge of electricity towards the pyramid.

Monodramon charged towards his target. "Charge Knuckle!" His claws broke through the pyramid and it disappeared.

"Alright!" Ryo said but he stopped when the mountain began to shake uncontrollably. "Woah!" He steadied himself as best as he could and looked towards the empty area where the pyramid had once been. "What's going on?"

The mountain was beginning to split open and I called out Peesk. The Butterfree grabbed hold of me and I threw my line out towards Chuchu and Monodramon. Leomon grabbed Ryo and jumped into the air onto higher, more stable ground. The tremor only lasted a few minutes revealing a large store of black gears within the mountain.

Leomon set Ryo down and growled. "Black Gears… We'll have to destroy them before someone uses them for evil purposes."

Ryo and I nodded but before we could act, another violent earthquake wrecked the entire island. From where we stood, we could see File Island breaking apart and beginning to drift away from one another. Far off into the distance, the ocean seemed to be disintegrating and it was spreading towards File Island. Gears began flying out of the open chasm we created and I thought I heard all of my friends yelling from somewhere.

"Red?" I asked aloud and looked around. "Pika?" I didn't see them or anything else because at this point, all of the Digital World seemed to be dissolving into nothingness.

"Yellow!" I heard Ryo yell for me and I turned towards him.

We'd be separated at this rate and I still had to learn from him. I cast my line out towards him and managed to wrap it around his arm. Peesk couldn't hold on to me for long so I recalled him and held on tightly to Chuchu and my fishing pole.

* * *

~TAICHI~

Gennai had us sit outside since there was no way all of us would have fit into one room comfortably. That and there was the threat that we would break into an all-out brawl and it would benefit everyone if we weren't indoors. After explaining to each other what Dex Holders and Chosen Children were, we were split apart into both groups, still filled doubt about the other's intentions. Gennai disappeared into his home to see if he could use the new information for anything and I doubt we were going to see him for the rest of the night. This left us alone and I was sure the tension was going to force a fight to break out sooner or later.

Daisuke greatly distrusted them and so did Iori and a few others. The idea of trainers capturing Pokémon and keeping them for battle sounded cruel, but I don't think that it was as simple as that. I wanted to give these 'Dex Holders' the benefit of the doubt and it looked like their leader thought the same.

After a long moment of silence between both groups, the boy with red eyes and spiky black hair stood up and faced us with a yellow mouse following him. He only took a few steps before the creature came after him. He quickly noticed and cast it a stern glance. He nodded towards the red and white balls stacked in a pile next to the mouse. "Pika, stay there with the others."

I understood his intentions and stood up too. Agumon was about to come after me, but I shook my head towards him. "It's okay, Agumon. I'll handle this on my own."

We met face to face in the center and gave each other a sturdy stare. He was older than me by a few years so was naturally taller. There was something about his smile that made me lower my guard and he immediately offered out his hand for me.

"I'm Red."

I accepted his handshake and smiled back. "Taichi Yagami." When our hands touched each other, I felt some sort of shock and my D-Terminal and Digivice reacted. I immediately let go and was rather surprised that happened.

He let go too because a small red machine resembling a D-Terminal and a weird device that looked like a Digivice began to go off. Alarmed, we both checked our equipment. There was nothing different about my Digivice, but my D-Terminal's screen revealed an icon that looked like a ball Red used to store his creatures.

Red studied his small device and frowned. "That's weird. I don't have a call on my Pokégear…" He turned to the red device in his other hand. "And my Pokédex isn't malfunctioning."

"Neither are my D-Terminal and Digivice." I stared at the four machines, thinking what just happened was strange. I remembered back to my first adventure and frowned. "Red, do you believe me when I tell you that the Chosen Children try to protect the Digital World?"

He looked at me oddly but nodded. "Every Dex Holder has been in the middle of some catastrophe or another, but we always fight to right any wrongs we face."

"Then we're on the same side," I finally stated.

"It seems so." He looked to his friends and crossed his arms. "But not everyone agrees."

"Yeah." I glanced back at my friends. "Maybe we should get them to talk to each other?"

He thought about then called out towards his mouse. "Pika! Come on over!" The small rodent rolled over the balls and Red immediately started on getting everyone's attention. "Green! Gather everybody here!" Red turned to me with a smile. "Let's see what we can do."

I nodded and looked towards my friends. "You all come over too."

"What's going on, Taichi?" Sora asked.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. All I do know is that we're a bit torn up because there is doubt on whether or not we work together. As Chosen Children, we cannot have those thoughts or feelings because we always work as a team."

Koushiro nodded. "We can learn from them and also teach them about the Digital—"

"What is there to teach us?" the boy with burning gold eyes was leaning on his billiard cue. "Where we're from, we're full-fledged heroes. You're just a bunch of half-pint brats living in a video game world."

"This isn't some kind of video game!" Daisuke yelled back. "This is a real emergency and you wouldn't last a night in the Digital World on your own!"

"You wouldn't either with your lizard thing! Heck, I could survive with just Togetaro alone!"

Both glared at each other and when things were about to escalate, Yamato stepped in. He grabbed Daisuke from behind and pulled him backwards. "Now isn't the time to be fighting!"

"Well why not? These people are used to fighting all the time. I want to see if they're as strong as they say!"

"Even stronger!" the explosive boy exclaimed. He was about to reach for a ball, but he froze when he was met with an intense glare from the girl standing beside him.

She had clear blue eyes and was wearing an outfit that didn't seem to fit her personality. Despite that, she managed to force the boy to stop what he was doing so she could lecture him. "Gold! You can't keep picking fights with them!"

"So now you're siding with them instead of me?"

"I'm not siding with anyone right now. I just think that you should calm down and think before you talk. We're nowhere close to anywhere we're used to and you can't go around antagonizing everyone you see."

"But _Goggle Brat_ started it!"

Daisuke tensed up but with Yamato still holding onto him, he couldn't say or do anything. Instead, Iori spoke up for the boy. "Even so, we don't condone with you capturing the Digimon. Pitting even those creatures you have against each other isn't right."

Red blankly looked towards the spiky-haired boy beside him. "Does he mean capturing and battling the Pokémon? There's nothing _wrong_ with it but the way he said it doesn't sound _right_ either."

The green-eyed boy closed his eyes and looked away. "This is a waste of time, Red. Let's just go and find a way home ourselves. We understand what this world is and what the Digimon are. We also understand that there is _another_ world connected to here. Finding a way to _our_ world will be a lot simpler if we rely on ourselves rather than," he looked towards us and tried to look for an appropriate description, "undertrained kids."

"Undertrained?" Yamato repeated and cast me a confused expression. I didn't really understand much either, but I think that was the best word he could find without outright insulting us, although undertrained wasn't really a compliment either.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Senior Green, Senior Red," Gold stated. "We're definitely strong enough on our own!"

"How about we just split up?" A blonde boy with green eyes offered. "I don't really want to stick around either."

Red looked towards the boy with surprise. "You too, Emerald?" He looked at the rest of the Dex Holders. "How about the rest of you? What do you say?"

The youngest girl wearing a pair diamond and pearl rings looked between both boys beside her. She hesitated but spoke up first. "I wish to follow Senior Green."

The boy on her right side frowned a bit. "Lady…" He looked towards our group and the girl before saying what he felt. "I… can't. I'll stay with Senior Red."

The other boy frowned. "Well, if Little Miss is going and that's how you feel, Dia, then I'll have to go with her. One of us has to watch over her."

The two were about to leave for Green's small group but Dia called out towards them. "Wait!" He slowly rushed up to them both and handed over two Poké Balls. "I… won't be able to watch them by myself."

The trainers looked at the Pokémon they both received and nodded at the slow boy. It must have been important because Dia became a bit glum as he walked back towards Red's group.

The red-haired boy with silver eyes looked up towards a girl with long brown hair. "I will follow them too…"

The girl nodded. "Just be careful, Silver."

Red looked at the remaining two who had yet to decide. A girl wearing blue stared intently at the boy wearing red and black. "Are you going too, Ruby?" She seemed to be hoping he'd stay.

Ruby studied both groups carefully before staring at the girl. "No… Those six will be fine on their own." He lowered his gaze towards his Pokémon and seemed to be thinking of something else. It was a bit odd because he didn't appear to be a strong battler, but the worry in his eyes showed a powerful fighting spirit that I've never seen before.

Red frowned at his half of Dex Holders. "Green, take care of yourself."

"You should worry about yourself first, Red." Green turned his back on us and signaled his small group to get towards the stairs. "Our priority is getting home and I _will_ find a way to do that. Being with the Chosen Children means helping with the problems of the Digital World and since that isn't _our_ fight, I intend to focus on our priority without distractions."

"What does that guy mean 'not their fight'? We're not distractions either!" Daisuke crossed his arms and frowned.

Red looked at my junior and sighed. "Don't worry too much about what he says. Green is like that."

The girl wearing a blue tank top and white skirt nodded. "Greenie is a nice guy deep down, but he has a lot of responsibilities that he can't just turn his back on. That workaholic will be fine working on his own team."

I stared at the flight of stairs leading up. "I guess we're going to have to allow them to go their own way then…" I thought back to the time when we were up against the Dark Masters but we all willingly split up. We didn't even start on this adventure yet and things were already falling apart.

As I was thinking, I felt the ground shake beneath me. I took a look around but the tremors were getting more violent, knocking me off my feet. I looked over to Green's leaving team and saw that they didn't even dare to go up the unstable stairs. Suddenly, Green reached for a red bug-like creature with powerful claws. "Bullet Punch!"

I couldn't see it well, but the bug charged forward at a blinding speed to knock away a tentacle that ended with a claw. It seemed familiar but I couldn't remember what it was.

All around us, more of those claws gathered as the small haven continued to shake. Understanding something was seriously wrong, Red pulled out his entire team and shouted, "Don't hold back, everyone! Help Green! Saur, use Vine Whip to pull the others back here."

Green noticed what Red was doing so nodded brusquely towards the five following him before sending out the rest of his Pokémon to fight. I turned towards the younger Chosen Children. "Hurry up and armor evolve! Agumon, let's go!" I pointed towards a tentacle and watched as my partner jumped towards it.

"Baby Flame!"

Eventually, Gennai's garden was filled up with Pokémon and Digimon fighting off against the tentacles. There were a lot of them swarming and with the earthquakes still going on, it was difficult for me to keep track of which side was winning. I was too focused on everyone else and before I knew it, Agumon was snatched up by a tentacle.

"Taichi!"

I reached a hand for my partner and ran after him. "Agumon!"

"Nefertimon!" I heard Hikari's voice and turned to see her partner captured too.

"Sky Uppercut!" The girl wearing a bandanna commanded a fiery humanoid bird to attack the claw, releasing Nefertimon, but another claw managed to grab the attacking Pokémon. "Chaka!" The girl turned towards Ruby to see if he could come to her aid. "Ruby!"

Unfortunately, the boy was backed into a corner. "Zuzu, Muddy Water! Popo, Shadow Ball!" All of his Pokémon were fighting back, but as more and more of the tentacles gathered around him, the less he could do to help his friend. "I'm sorry, Sapphire…"

"Fladramon, no!" Daisuke watched in horror as the flaming lizard was captured. He took a few steps forward but stumbled. "Come on! Fight back!"

I looked up towards the air battle and noticed things weren't faring well. Red and Green were flying around, but eventually the fiery green-eyed boy was dragged down from on top of his dragon. "Charizard!" Green seemed to care more for his dragon than for his own safety as he fell.

"Green!" The boy landed on top of a large pink balloon-like Pokémon. The girl sitting on top of it sighed in relief. "They've got even Charizard…"

"No matter," Green stated with unrelenting pride. "Blast Burn!" he roared towards the struggling Pokémon. The flames the fierce dragon erupted were quickly put out as more claws wrapped themselves around the Pokémon.

The pitiful sight forced me to turn to look away. "There's nothing we can do though," I said as I tried to think of a way for this battle to end.

Someone else fell from the sky beside me and I noticed it was Gold. "Togetaro!" The explosive boy clenched his teeth. "Damn it… You bastards won't get away with this!" He charged towards the tentacle holding his white kite-shaped Pokémon. He jumped and tried to use his billiard cue to pry open the claws only to be shoved away.

With less Pokémon and Digimon available to fight, both groups gathered in the center. Yamato and I shared a frustrated sigh as everyone else was beginning to lose the urge to fight. The ground cracked open and the walls of water around us began to disperse into space. Underneath us, the dirt began to slowly disappear, suspending us in empty space.

The others and I floated around for a while before I registered something large with tentacles coming out of the chasm of nothingness beneath us. All of the Digimon and most of the Pokémon were caught in its reach and it smiled darkly as it called out a despairing attack. "Death Evolution!"

"Everyone!" I watched as my partner was reduced to a Koromon.

"That's impossible…" Red floated beside me as some members of his team shrunk in size and form too. "Saur… Vee… Poli… Aero…" He froze with the remaining three of his team before he let out a frustrated shout alongside his yellow mouse. "Everyone!"

Still tightly holding onto its victims, Apocalymon smirked and laughed. "Darkness Zone!"

I clenched my eyes shut as everything around us began to be broken apart into data. I could feel my Digivice glow in a bright light as it tried to protect me, but I felt that I was most likely going to end up lost in the data world.

* * *

GOLD (July 21): I'll destroy that bastard with my own hands for what he did to my Pokemon!

IXEN (January 1): What would you destroy him with, Gold-san? Your Pokemon were de-evolved & Author made an equalizing system so a fully-evolved Pokemon isn't even strong enough to take on an Adult Digimon.

KOUSHIRO (N/A): Really? Now that doesn't quite seem fair. And that makes things rather unbalanced, doens't it?

IXEN (January 1): The way I see it, things are already unbalanced. But you can blame Author's brother for that decision. He helped with setting the strength system because apparently an Ultimate Digimon is superbly overpowered compared to, say, a Tyranitar. Legendaries are something different altogether though, but enough mechanics. For readers who want to know what happens to everyone sooner, remember to review. University starts soon, so I recommend doing so just in case Author neglects her responsibilities.


	5. Raise the Sign of Friendship

IXEN (Nature Hardy): Wow, Author. I didn't expect college to screw you up so much. It's been like two weeks.

YAMATO (Lonely): Well you can't expect her to immediately set up a pace to juggle writing and school.

RYO (Modest): Besides, there are actually a lot more readers interested, according to the traffic.

IXEN (Hardy): You shouldn't be saying anything, Ryo-san. Author has been playing your Anode/Cathode game a lot more than actually writing.

* * *

~RYO~

When I opened my eyes, the sun was just beginning to rise. After a few minutes of staring at the sky, I remembered standing on top of Infinity Mountain, looking out over the Digital World as it broke apart. Realizing I was in the middle of a giant pit, I quickly got to my feet.

"Yellow?" I asked aloud and searched for the blonde teen. "Monodramon?" I turned around and felt something pulling on my right arm. I looked down and noticed it was fishing string.

I followed it to its source and sighed in relief when I found Yellow sitting against a rock, sleeping peacefully. Monodramon and Chuchu were still asleep too but I gently woke them both up.

"Ryo!" My partner said happily.

"Morning, Monodramon," I smiled. "Are you hurt?"

He shook his head and looked towards Yellow. "He'll be asleep for a long time though," the small dragon frowned. "Yellow used her powers to heal me after the entire Digital World broke apart. What do we do now, Ryo?"

I decided to remove the fishing string from my arm before lifting the blonde onto my back. Chuchu looked up at me curiously before deciding to follow Monodramon. "Let's get moving, Monodramon, Chuchu. We saw the Digital World disintegrate and fragment with our own eyes so I want to know why we're still here and not lost in empty space."

"So where are we headed then?" Monodramon walked behind me with Chuchu next to him. They exchanged confused glances before catching up to me.

"I'm not sure, but this place seems familiar somehow." I looked towards the distance and noticed the pit was actually miles deep. There was no way we could climb out but something strange caught my eye. A flight of stairs were in the distance and it led to a few buildings. I might have figured out where we were but I had to make sure so stared out at the ground. There were signs of the area being an aqueous environment, but it seems as though the entire lake had dried up. "Gennai…"

Monodramon tilted his head to the side and looked towards the buildings in the distance. "So is that a safe place, Ryo?"

"Yeah, let's hurry. Something isn't right. The water in this lake is supposed to protect Gennai's home!" I broke into a run with Monodramon and Chuchu exchanging even more confused glances behind me.

The closer we got to the house, the more difficult the terrain became. There was charring and jagged breaks in the land. There must have been a fierce battle here recently but there were no signs of surviving Digimon or Pokémon at all. "Ryo!" Monodramon tensed up as he caught up and spotted the damage.

Chuchu poked around the attacks and the ruined garden before crying out towards Yellow. The trainer didn't wake up but the blonde only muttered, "Red… Pika… Everyone…"

Monodramon looked up at me seriously. "Chuchu says that their friends were here recently. The scents are actually pretty fresh, but they're no longer here. There were even Digimon here, Ryo."

"The Chosen Children and Dex Holders," I decided. I sighed and headed towards the ruined house. "Gennai? Are you here?"

Monodramon rushed ahead of me to inspect everything. "Hello?" he called out. "Is anyone here?"

There was some shuffling and I immediately turned to face it. I was relieved when I saw the familiar old man smiling at me. "Ryo Akiyama, welcome back to the Digital World."

"Gennai, what happened to the others?"

He frowned as he looked at his battered home. "The Digital World has broken itself up and now I fear the others are also lost between the world fragments."

Yellow mumbled in her sleep. "No. They're okay. I know it. Red and the others won't give up." I glanced over my shoulder and noticed she was smiling.

Gennai stared at her oddly. "Who is that young man with you, Ryo?"

"Actually, Gennai," I set Yellow down and her straw hat accidently fell, revealing her long ponytail, "She's not—"

"—from the Digital World or human world, I know." Gennai frowned as he studied us. "You two were on File Island, weren't you?"

I nodded. "We don't know what happened. One moment we were destroying a pyramid of dark energy and the next we were being tossed into space as Dark Gears dispersed around us. What exactly happened here, Gennai?"

"Well, it seems as though you released the Gears about the same time everyone else battled Apocalymon."

I heard yawning and felt Yellow shift behind me. "Apocalymon?" She became fully awake and noticed all of us staring at her. "Ah, Ryo!" The short teen looked around and frowned. "How long was I asleep?"

"Quite a while," Monodramon said. "Hey, Yellow! Who's Red?"

She looked surprised as she got to her feet. "How do you know Red?"

"You were saying that everybody else would be fine and his name came up," I answered. "He and the rest of your friends must have ended up in the Digital World too."

"Really?" She looked up at the sky and took out her Pokédex. "So they _are_ here." She turned to look at Chuchu. "That must mean that everyone is trying their hardest to save the Digital World too." Yellow fixed her straw hat and smiled. "Red leads the Dex Holders and is the person who inspired me to start on my own journey to find him. It looks like I just missed him again, so I'll just have to start looking for him again!" Her eyes flared with determination as she finished adjusting her hat. "The others will need me to be stronger before I catch up with them."

Seeing her ready to go, I couldn't help but agree. "Right." I turned towards Gennai. "So what happened to Ken and the others?"

"Like I said before, the Digital World has been broken apart and cast into space. Your release of the Dark Gears and Apocalymon's Darkness Zone attacked seemed to have clashed each other. One event was meant to fragment the world while the other was meant to delete it. That has led to a partial deletion and fragmentation. May I see your Pokégear and D-Arc?"

Yellow took out her small device and I handed over my D-Arc. "What do you need it for?" Yellow asked.

"As I suspected, it seems as though this machine has gained the functions of the Digivice." Gennai studied the Pokégear for a long time but handed me back my D-Arc. "As for you, Ryo, you do not have a D-Terminal like the other Chosen Children but your device has gained the ability to identify Pokémon."

"It has?" I stared at my small device and a screen came up when I pointed it towards Chuchu. "I didn't even notice."

Yellow took back her Pokégear. "Oh? There are blinking dots on the screen. What does that mean?"

"Those must be the Chosen Children or Dex Holders. It will take a while to gather everyone again, but will you go after them?"

"Of course!" Yellow cried, sending out her entire team. "I'm their Healer after all."

I slowly thought things through and smiled. "I guess it's settled. Yellow, I was still given the task of training you to use your powers, but since it won't be of any use without the others, we'll have to travel and train at the same time."

She nodded in understanding. "Okay! I'll do my best to keep up with your teachings, Ryo!" She turned to face her Pokémon. "Are you all ready?"

I looked down to Monodramon and smiled. He smirked back and Gennai understood we were ready to start on our journey. "Be careful. Since the Digital World does not fully exist, there will be many dangers."

* * *

~GREEN~

I sat up when the morning arrived, but when I opened my eyes, I could only see mist. I closed my eyes and sharpened my mind so that I would be able to see beyond the fog. When I opened them again, I stood up and decided to check on my Pokémon. I could see their silhouettes nearby and walked towards them only to be surprised by their state of being.

"Chariz— No, Charmander, Machoke, Scyther, and Porygon…" I frowned at the four before looking at the others who were unchanged. "Pidgeot, Ninetales, and Golduck… So just you three are evolved." I took out my Pokédex and checked everyone's stats. "This is disappointing. All of you have gotten weaker." _And so did I,_ I thought with a sigh before motioning for my Pokémon to follow me so I could restart our training. Before I could leave though, I noticed one of the Chosen Children was watching.

He had long blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. He casually wore some sort of green school uniform and appeared to be no older than Ruby. Despite that, he stared at me with some sort of disgust as he looked between me and my Pokémon. "You're disappointed with them even though they fought they're hardest to defend you?"

"They fought and they lost. More than half of my Pokémon have also dropped in level and evolution," I calmly stated. "When Pokémon evolve, they are meant to remain in that form, not revert like a Digimon does." My eyes sharply fell onto the boy's Digimon, a small ball with a large horn and orange fur. "A weaker form does not help me win battles."

The Digimon cowered under my stare, but the boy seemed ready to get into a fight against me. I was prepared to defend myself with my martial arts training, but paused when I heard rustling around me. The small Digimon and my Pokémon felt something and immediately got into ready stances.

"Yamato, we're surrounded," the Digimon said.

"By the enemy?" the boy asked as he looked around.

"Do we even know who the enemy is?" I asked rhetorically. "No, it's most likely we're trespassing on someone's territory." I couldn't see much beyond the trees and fog but a bush rustled near my left and I pointed towards it. "Pidgeot, Defog the area now! Charmander, Flamethrower!"

I couldn't count on Charmander's accuracy so had to make sure he could see where I pointed before he unleashed the steady stream of flames. His attack managed to frighten the small group of Swinub hiding. Once the Pokémon dispersed, Charmander looked around for anything else that could have posed a threat.

"We need to leave," I said carefully. "Those wild Pokémon are weak so won't fight us, but if a herd of Piloswine, or worse Mamoswine, arrive we'll be outnumbered and overwhelmed."

Yamato took a quick look around and assessed the decision. "Yeah," he agreed. "Where should we head? Should we start looking for the others?"

His partner looked up at him carefully. The small creature and I could see the slight worry in Yamato's blue eyes. The boy was doing his best to hide it so I turned away and started down the narrow trail Pidgeot's Defog uncovered.

"The others will be fine," I stated as I recalled everyone except Charmander and Pidgeot. "If a Dex Holder is unable to stand on their own and fight, they are unfit to be a trainer let alone own a Pokédex." I stared at the small machine grandfather built for us and thoughts of my family immediately filled my mind.

How were things going in Pallet Town? Are grandfather and Daisy still safe? They didn't end up in the Digital World, did they? Only the Dex Holders were outside. Daisy had gone to meet with Bill to hand over some documents regarding the box system in Sinnoh, as well as other personal business. Travelling and old age had taken a toll on grandfather so he should have been indoors resting.

But even so if he wasn't transported, grandfather was alone. There was no one else in the lab with him since his only lab assistants were Crystal, Emerald, and me. If someone were to take him again, who would go after him with me being stuck here?

It was only until Yamato reached for my shoulder that I realized I had begun to shake with cool frustration and worry. "We should get moving—" Once his hand was on my shoulder, my Pokédex and Pokégear went off. Yamato's eyes shot down towards his Digivice and D-3 as they began ringing.

We didn't get a chance to look at the devices though because around us, I could sense that more and more Pokémon gathering around us. I could make out the many Ice-type Pokémon attracted to the forest's misty atmosphere and looked down at my two Pokémon to measure up them up to those in the wild.

As long as Charmander and the small Digimon could fight off a quarter of the mass, Yamato and I would be able to navigate our way out with Pidgeot clearing the mist every now and then. I looked at the blonde carefully and he eyed me with a nod.

"Tsunomon," he turned towards his small Digimon.

The small ball jumped with determination. "Okay, Yamato."

The wild Pokémon eyed us carefully before a Piloswine let out a fierce roar and charged towards the small Digimon. Tsunomon did his best to ram himself against the larger Pokémon and Charmander quickly followed up with Metal Claw.

"Let's go," I curtly said to Yamato as Pidgeot took the lead ahead of us. "Whirlwind!" The sudden gust of air forced the group of Pokémon ahead of us to scatter. Those that resisted were quickly pushed aside by Charmander and Tsunomon.

In the distance, I could see the forest's edge as the trees thinned out into a clearing. The fog was also lighter here so I had Charmander take it easy. Less and less Pokémon were crowding towards us and we were almost out.

As we neared the exit though, the fog suddenly thickened and Yamato and I were forced to stop. "Pidgeot, Defog!" I commanded. Pidgeot tried, but there was no difference in our visibility.

Yamato looked around in wonder. "What's wrong? That move worked before." He turned towards Tsunomon with concern. "Are you holding up alright?"

The small Digimon nodded and glanced around. "There's something waiting for us up there, Yamato."

I sensed it too. I glanced down at my Pokédex and frowned. Pidgeot still had plenty of PP to use Defog. Something was cancelling its effects. Could it be Haze? I tested my theory. "Defog," I calmly said to Pidgeot.

The large bird flapped his wings to clear the fog. The air cleared for only a few seconds before the mist returned. I frowned when I knew I had been right, but this left me with the question as to what Pokémon would know Mist and Haze and would be willing to reside in such a forest.

I was answered with an intense purple colored mist. I managed to dodge out of the way but the attack completely took Yamato by surprise. It didn't hit him, but he was now confused as to what we were fighting. "Tsunomon, there!" He pointed towards the direction the flames came from.

The weak Digimon started for the area pointed out, but he paused to look around. "Where is the enemy?"

"Airborne?" I suggested. I tried to search for it in the thick mist but couldn't find it. All I knew was that Pidgeot was struck by an icy attack from behind. "Pidgeot!" I returned him into his ball and sighed. "You did your best to get us this far so take the time to recover." I looked through the others in their Poké Balls but didn't know who to choose next. Our opponent was invisible and I had no idea which type to pick. "Charmander, Flamethrower!"

The small Pokémon spewed flames around us, but it didn't seem to hit anything. Tsunomon and Charmander shook their heads when they realized we were just sitting ducks.

Yamato frowned and took out his Digivice. "Is it a Digimon then?" He scanned around him, but found nothing.

Another stream of purple mist came at us and I dove towards the ground. This was getting frustrating as we couldn't make out anything in this mist. There were no shadows or silhouettes to reveal the whereabouts of our attacker. The more I stared into the white fog though, the more I realized what Pokémon it was.

I narrowed my eyes and stared at the fog closely. Finally, I saw a large mass of the fog move and pointed towards it. "Fire Spin!" Charmander immediately obeyed and created a vortex of fire which managed to trap out assailant. The flames clung to the Pokémon and it flapped its cottony wings to try to put it out. "So those attacks were from a Dragon-type then," I said with some satisfaction.

Yamato managed to rescue Tsunomon from a panicked Dragonbreath. "It's body looks so much like clouds that it actually disappeared into the fog. It's too strong for us to fight right now. We should run."

I agreed but kept a wary eye on the Altaria. Something about the Pokémon bothered me. An attack it used wasn't known to _wild_ Pokémon. Could this Altaria have belonged to someone and was transported here by mistake? I took out my Pokédex and considered it as I followed Yamato.

I didn't have too much time to think about it because we were nearing the edge of the forest. Right before I reached the clearing, the Altaria freed itself from its fiery prison and targeted me. An alarmed yell from Yamato made me turn to see the incoming Fury Attack.

"Green!" Yamato cried out. At that moment, a light erupted from his Digivice and my Pokégear. Another light surrounded Tsunomon and Charmander as the small creatures launched themselves into the air to come to my aid.

"Tsunomon evolve! Gabumon!" The familiar blue-furred Digimon rammed into the Altaria, diverting the attack. Gabumon then jumped back and spat out blue flames. "Petit Fire!"

My newly evolved Charmeleon finished the battle by using Dragon Claw on the Altaria so that it would not get up again. I calmly stared at the downed Pokémon before going up to it. I carefully pet the Pokémon's head before looking over its wounds.

Frozen with confusion and shock, Yamato just stared blankly before Gabumon went to his side. "Yamato!"

The blonde shook himself and smiled down at his partner. "You can evolve, Gabumon! But there was a light coming from Green's Pokégear too…"

I took out the small machine and studied it. There was a status screen and it displayed Gabumon's stats. I stared between Charmeleon and Gabumon but there was nothing I could figure out from just studying them. I decided to turn my attention back towards the Altaria.

Yamato walked over to my side and watched as I took out some medicine from my belt pouch. "You're healing the Pokémon that attacked us?"

"This isn't an ordinary Pokémon. It's too well-trained, so it must belong to someone. Whether that person is here in the Digital World or not, I don't know, but it targeted me because it saw that I had this." I took out my Pokédex and stared at it. "There aren't many Altaria or trainers with this Pokémon from where I am from, but it must have recognized this machine."

"The Pokédex…" Yamato stared at it for a while and noticed I was shaking again. "It must be extremely important to you."

I tightly held onto the machine. "It's personal for me because this was created and built by my grandfather. A device to record all Pokémon data so that trainers and Pokémon can bond… that was his dream. It was a gift to the world but because of its great innovation but low supply, those associated with the Pokédex are often targeted." My eyes narrowed as I remembered my goal of returning home.

Yamato was silent as I continued my work. When I was done, the Altaria stood up and bowed. It made motions towards me, but I didn't understand. Gabumon stood by my side and turned his head up towards me. "Green, this Pokémon says it belongs to someone called a Gym Leader."

"A Gym Leader?" Yamato asked. "What is that?"

"A title," I answered. "Gym Leaders are usually powerful trainers who own gyms where trainers go to test their abilities. I hold that title myself for a city north of where I live. So if this Pokémon belongs to a Gym Leader, she must be Winona of Fortree City, a personal friend of Sapphire's." At the mention of my junior's name, the Altaria happily straightened up. It seemed eager to take off to look for said trainer, but I calmed it down with a shake of my head. "Knowing this doesn't matter much though since we're stuck in the middle of the Digital World."

Yamato wore a small smile. "Then we should head out together and look for the others." I was about to argue to find a way home on my own, but Yamato cut me off. "Or whatever it is you decide, I'll go with it. Look at this as a sign of Friendship." He offered out his hand for me to shake.

I smirked back at him. "Friendship?"

"Yeah, that's my special trait as a Chosen Child. It took me a long while to understand what being a friend meant, but I know it when I see it." His eyes glowed knowingly. "My friends and family matter a lot to me too, so I'm going to help when I can, even if I'm 'undertrained' like you said."

I accepted his hand and shook it firmly. "Don't worry about that. My title among the Dex Holders is the Raiser. Seeing as how we're not strong enough yet, we're going be training for quite a while to reach an adequate level worthy to match any opposition we will face."

Yamato laughed as I coolly smirked. Gabumon looked back and forth between us before looking towards Charmeleon. "Yamato and Green are actually very alike. They always have such a cold outward appearance but inside, their hearts burn with the same kind fire."

"Gabumon!" Yamato exclaimed with embarrassment.

I merely allowed my smirk to grow a bit before saying, "I suppose so. But we'll need to strengthen our hearts." I looked back at the Pokédex still in my hand. My mind turned back towards grandfather and the rest of the Dex Holders.

Wait for me, everyone. I'll become stronger and find a way home for all of us.

* * *

~YAMATO~

I stared out at the desolate scene and sighed. The Digital World was a jumble of broken areas. The small forest we had been trapped in was completely isolated. The clearing we managed to find meant nothing as it had led nowhere. It was a good thing the Altaria we encountered decided to stay with us though.

We flew above the broken world and looked for any piece of land where the others could be. I was riding Green's recovered Pidgeot while Green was on top of the blue cloud-like bird from earlier. It was easier for him to control the Altaria since he was an experienced Pokémon trainer as well as Gym Leader whereas I was only a Chosen Child with no knowledge of how to command a Pokémon.

Pidgeot actually responded well to me though. It could have been because of how Green strictly raised his Pokémon, but despite his coldness, I can see he's just like Red in the sense that Pokémon mean a lot to him. It made me respect him more than I had when we had first met.

My first impression of him was that he was completely the opposite of Red, caring only about returning home without regard for the danger he would face in the Digital World. He seemed capable of fighting off the threats, but that intimidating glare of his made it seem as if he didn't care what happened to us or his friends. It wasn't an act either; it was just that he was extremely confident that the others would be completely okay with whatever happens to them. He didn't just think it; he _knew_ it. Despite the independent adventures of the Dex Holders, it appeared they had a strong bond that matched the teamwork we Chosen Children had.

Despite that, I still have to wonder and worry about the others well-beings. I believed in my friends but it fell short compared to how much Green believed in his friends. Perhaps it was just my brotherly instincts but I was reminded of how much I had wanted to protect Takeru during our first adventure. I had been a failure then for not overcoming my shortcomings first and this time, I don't intend on making the same mistake.

As if he could sense my worries, Green flew closer to me. "There's no sign of danger at least," he remarked as he studied his Pokégear. The ringing and light emitting from the machine had caught his interest so now he was spending some time examining how much the small device had changed.

I nodded gratefully. "But it would be better if we could find the others and group together. I still have no idea where we're headed."

"I'm simply following the map on my Pokégear," he showed me the screen. "There seems to be a new function where red dots are appearing in the edges."

That reminded me of the Digivice's tracking function. I took it out and stared at the screen. "I forgot about this…"

Gabumon sat in front of me and laughed. "You were too busy lost in your thoughts, Yamato. Don't you remember we used it to find Koushiro?"

"Yeah, but I didn't expect for us to be separated like this again. But with the Digital World like this, I'm glad we have a way to find the others."

"There's a pair close by." Green turned his head towards a piece of land with a giant mansion in the middle of it. "Over there in that house."

I stared at it for a while and decided it would be best to find those closest to us first. "Okay, let's check it out then."

"We'd better hurry," Green remarked. "Knowing some of the Dex Holders, there's bound to be trouble." He frowned and muttered the name Gold under his breath.

Hearing the explosive boy's name reminded me of Daisuke and I smirked. "That holds true for some of the Chosen Children. Hopefully we get to them before anything happens."

* * *

~GOLD~

I dropped out of the sky and landed on something soft and bouncy. Annoyed, I got up onto my feet and looked down to see I hadn't landed on anything but the ground. I jumped up and down and noticed the grassy pasture was actually more like a comfy mattress than a field.

I bounced towards something sticking out of the ground nearby and noticed it was a cradle. "Hey, how cool!" I exclaimed as I looked into the cradle to see a furry black face staring up at me. I poked it and it jiggled like gelatin. I patted the small creatures head before turning my head to look at the other cradles. My smile grew wider when I saw an egg lying nearby. "Hey! This is amazing!" I bounded over and picked it up. There was a note attached and I read it. "'Rub me?' Well, okay…" I rubbed the colorful egg carefully and was surprised when it hatched so suddenly. The shell turned into a puff of smoke and a cradle appeared underneath where the egg once was. The creature that was inside the egg hatched into the cradle and yawned. This remarkable finding made me look around for my partners excitedly. "Hey, everyone! Come look at—" My face fell when I noticed how down everyone was.

Explotaro, Suntaro, Aitaro, and Politaro all sat in a sad circle. They had reverted back into their baby forms. They didn't seem to feel my excitement for my discovery of these eggs and I could see why. My team didn't seem that much stronger than the babies sitting in the cradles around us. Even Sutaro, who can't evolve, was down.

"Come on, all of you can't be that down. We'll just evolve again!" I tried my best to cheer them up, but noticed two other Pokémon I supposedly had with me were missing. "Where's Pich and Togetaro?" I asked.

I heard crying and saw the two hanging around a cradle, making some of the babies laugh. I had thought they were bullying the babies, but no, those two understood what it meant to be a child so wanted to have some fun. I smiled and looked back at my other Pokémon.

"Look, even if you're all in your most basic form now, we're still partners. Togetaro and Pich might be more used to being the youngest, but this is exactly how we started out, right? Just think back to before when we went after Silver! We need that motivation now." I looked towards the distance and scowled. "Really, I want to pummel that giant creep who did this to us."

Aitaro stood up and smiled at the others with fierce determination. Explotaro nodded and got to his feet and angrily flared his back. Politaro and Suntaro hopped up and looked up towards me. I smirked back and turned towards Pich and Togetaro who had made friends with the Digimon babies.

"Come on, everyone!" I called out so the two I hatched could hear me. "Since it looks like we're on our own, we're going to have to travel around by ourselves to search for everyone else. Hopefully our friends are close by." I immediately frowned when I remembered those other kids in the Digital World too. "If we come across any of those weird kids, I guess we'll have to stick with them but we won't unless it's absolutely necessary. Got it?"

All of my Pokémon agreed and I led them to the bottom of one of the hills we stood on. I could hear running water nearby so decided to follow it in case the others would do the same thing. But as I got closer to the forest, I noticed a guy with spiky hair and goggles. He was surprised too as he saw me with my Pokémon. "You!?" he exclaimed rudely.

"Hey, respect your elders! I'm Gold of New Bark Town, you Goggle Brat!"

"You're one to talk about respect! I might be younger but I've saved the world twice!"

"Keh! Well, I've saved the world three times!" I held up three fingers on my right hand and looked around me. "And it was a real world too, not some kind of video game world."

"This place isn't a game! It's real too!" Goggle Brat yelled back. "The Digimon and everything are real!" He tackled into me and I had no choice but to fight back.

I pushed him off and threw a punch. I managed to connect my fist to his head but he had a really thick skull so it hurt me as much as it did him. Both of us were left open but his head cleared first so he decided to kick at me. I quickly pulled out my cue and blocked the attack and swung it towards him, missing.

Meanwhile, my Pokémon and this small blue guy were sitting nearby watching. "Daisuke!" the little guy cried out. "You shouldn't really be fighting here! There's Digitama and baby Digimon everywhere!" Even my Pokémon were trying to make sure the baby Digimon who bounced their way over would stand back so they wouldn't get hurt.

We didn't really hear or notice them and just tackled into each other, making this a wrestling match. Being taller and thinner, I was more flexible and quick, but he was actually stronger than he looked and managed to lock my arms so I wouldn't be able to use them. I shoved my head into his stomach and pinned him to the ground.

All while this was happening, things became loud as the baby Digimon started crying. All of a sudden there was some shouting, forcing Goggle Brat and I to look up. "Who's making my babies cry!?" A red Pikachu-lookalike came up and tried to soothe the crying. "It's okay, little ones. I'm here!" He suddenly glared at both of us and came up to us. "You two! What do you think you're doing upsetting the kids like that?"

I sat on top of Goggle Brat and he lifted his head up from the ground and spat. "It's this guy's fault!"

"Hey! I'm pretty sure I wasn't the one who made the babies cry! If anything, all babies love me. That means it's your fault!" I pushed down on his back.

He pushed back and I ended up tumbling off of him, giving him the chance to pin me. We were about to go at it again, but the small red creature shocked the both of us. "Thunder Knife!"

The small bursts of electricity rained down on us and we were forced to separate and find cover. It was a weak attack, but it still hurt a lot. Goggle Brat began whining. "Hey! Don't you know who I am? I'm a Chosen Child! Why are you attacking me?"

"Because it's my job to protect these Digitama and Digimon from harm. And are you really a Chosen Child? The Chosen Children I've met before were never this bad of an influence for my babies."

"Of course I am!" He reached for his goggles. "Senior Taichi gave this to me as proof!"

Not entirely satisfied, the red Pikachu looked at me. "And how about you? Are you a Chosen Child too?" He eyed my partners oddly since he's never seen them before. "Odd Digimon you've got."

"They're Pokémon," I corrected as I rubbed my prickling legs. "And I'm a Dex Holder not a whatever child." I looked at the crowd of baby Digimon and frowned. "So who are you? You take care of these babies?"

"That's right. I'm Elecmon. I've been taking care of Primary Village for years, raising these babies until they evolve into Child level." He raised an eye when he saw the short blue Digimon standing near my team. "I don't think I've hatched any Digimon like you before. Is that kid your partner?" He pointed at Goggle Brat.

"Yup! That's Daisuke and I'm Chibimon." He smiled at my Pokémon. "And these are Gold's partners."

"You've got some cute fellows with you, Gold," Elecmon said as he petted Togetaro's head.

My Togepi became a bit annoyed since he didn't really like being treated as a kid so Aitaro had to hold the small baby back from pummeling Elecmon.

"Spunky too!" Elecmon carefully backed away with a nervous chuckle. He took a closer look at Togetaro and Pich though. "These two look an awfully lot like you."

"Yeah? I hatched them myself!" I proudly stated.

"Really? Impressive. Almost as impressive as a kid I know who hatched his own Digimon years back."

Annoyed that he was being left out of the conversation, Goggle Brat interrupted. "Hey, Elecmon. You're talking about Takeru, right?"

"Yup! Actually it's been a while since I've seen him. I wonder how he and Patamon are faring."

"Well, I'm not sure, but maybe you can help us find him!"

"Did something happen?" Elecmon wondered.

I scoffed. "Nothing really major. It's just that Goggle Brat got separated from his friends."

"So did you!" He glared at me and finally exclaimed, "Stop calling me Goggle Brat!"

"Well, what else am I supposed to call you? Goggle Loser?"

Both of us glared at each other before Elecmon got down on all fours again. Noticing this, we straightened up and quickly looked away from each other in fear of being shocked again. "That's more like it," the Digimon said. "I'd like to help in any way I can, but I can't just abandon the babies. I'll keep my eyes peeled, but Primary Village has to be my top priority."

"I don't get it," I said. "What's so important about Primary Village? I mean, I know there's a lot of these Digimon eggs, but is there more to it?"

"Pfft, why would you want to know?" Goggle Brat asked as he crossed his arms. "Digimon are born from the Digitama and since you don't really think the Digimon are real, there's no use in you knowing."

"You don't think I know about this type of stuff?" I seriously looked at the baby Digimon and the Digitama field behind them. "Real or not, I know miracles when I see them. Pokémon eggs or Digitama, those things are important to me." I smiled at my Pokémon and they beamed back.

Goggle Brat, not understanding what I meant, frowned. "Huh…"

Elecmon smiled up at me. "I guess it doesn't matter what you are then. Chosen Child, Dex Holder, you care about the future, right?" He looked proudly at the hills of cradles. "But to answer your earlier questions, Primary Village is where everything in the Digital World begins. All Digimon are born and raised here. They grow up and eventually go all over the Digital World. They live their lives until they die, but the Digimon never really die. Their data is just reconstituted into Digitama and they become reborn again here in Primary Village. You can think of this place like the beginning and end of the Digital World."

I nodded as I let it sink in. "So… it's just like a videogame where you get an extra life."

Goggle Brat smacked his forehead. "No! It's not a game!"

"Well, the explanation of Digimon sure sounds like a game! In my world, Pokémon can actually die and never come back, so I always have to be careful with my team. What about that little guy you have? If he dies, he gets to be reborn. What else does that sound like to you, besides a videogame character?"

"You don't get it! Chibimon is mo—" He was interrupted when Elecmon got on all fours and was staring towards the field. "Elecmon?"

"I sense an intruder." The red mouse-like Digimon listened intently for any suspicious noise and immediately darted along the edge of the forest.

"Daisuke!" Chibimon jumped up in a panic and wanted to go after him.

Goggle Brat nodded. "Let's go!"

They left me behind and I noticed the baby Digimon were shivering with fear. Seeing their discomfort, I closed my eyes and tried to think it through. "Togetaro, Pich, you're in charge of watching the babies. Everyone else, let's go!"

I left the entire group of babies behind, hoping this wasn't going to get bad. If Goggle Brat only had that little squirt to fight, I would definitely have to help. Even if my Pokémon weren't strong enough, I would have to stand up for these little babies. I looked back and deepened my frown when I made out Pich and Togetaro's impatient faces. Something told me that they weren't going to sit out, but they would still follow my orders and watch the kids.

* * *

GREEN (Serious): I don't think I was portrayed very accurately...

IXEN (Hardy): ... Yeah? But don't you have a soft spot inside you somewhere, Green-san?

GOLD (Naughty): Hah! A nice Green-sempai!? That's- Ah! I didn't mean it that way, Green-sempai! Don't give me more punishment training!

IXEN (Hardy): Well, don't forget to review. It's been a while. Hopefully Author will get through this first month without screwing up schedules too much.


	6. Defend the Digitama! In Light of Beauty

IXEN (Starter/Partner Charmander): Eh, this chapter has been done for a while, but a pattern has been established. There are barely any views on Wednesdays. Hopefully this changes things.

DAISUKE (V-mon): But I get start things off, picking up where Gold left off. Here's the conclusion to our fight.

RUBY (Mudkip): I'll do the disclaimer, I guess. Denthasus doesn't own Digimon Adventures or Pokemon Special. Don't forget to vote for me in contests~!

* * *

~DAISUKE~

"Twin Spear!" a giant black Digimon stabbed a spear into a small hut used to house the baby Digimon. He looked around and laughed when he saw Elecmon running towards him. "Finally! The caretaker has come for his defeat. Even a Chosen Child is here to witness the fall of Primary Village to me, DarkKnightmon!"

I held up my D-3 and used the Analyzer to see what type of Digimon he was. It didn't tell me much, but just looking at him, I knew Chibimon and Elecmon wouldn't be enough to fight him off. We would just have to try though.

Elecmon knew this too and bared his teeth. "Leave Primary Village alone! Sparkling Thunder!" A powerful bolt of lightning came from Elecmon's back and struck the giant Digimon.

DarkKnightmon simply laughed and brushed it off. "This will be much easier than I had first thought."

"Chibimon, get in there!"

"Hop Attack!" My small partner leapt forward and managed to push the enemy back a few feet. Chibimon bounced backwards and allowed Elecmon to attack again.

"Thunder Knife!" Electric knives rained down over the Digimon, but he didn't seem too bothered by our efforts.

"A bit more of a challenge, but not enough to stop me." He stood back up and tossed up the black cape flowing behind him. "Come! I will show you how weak you are compared to me!"

Chibimon and Elecmon glared at him before running headfirst towards him. I clenched my fist. "Chibimon, take him down!" I heard someone moving behind me and noticed Gold had caught up. He looked at the large size of DarkKnightmon compared to how small Chibimon was. I glared at him before saying, "Don't even say anything about Chibimon. He'll be able to win. You don't need to get into this fight."

Gold shook his head. "Like you can win alone." He was about to send his skinny tree to fight when something caught his eye. "I knew they wouldn't listen…"

Beside us, a large mass of baby Digimon were rallying to support Elecmon and Chibimon. The group was headed by Gold's smallest two Pokémon, a spike-hall with an eggshell and a small yellow mouse with large ears.

"You brought the baby Digimon here!?" I yelled incredulously.

"I left those two in charge and they brought them!" Gold yelled back. "I figured this would happen, but I'm sure they'll be okay," he shrugged.

I shook my head at his irresponsibility. What could those puny creatures do against DarkKnightmon? Could they even fight? I turned my head towards Chibimon just in time to have my partner crash into me.

"Ow! Sorry, Daisuke," my tired partner said. "If only I could evolve…" he looked up sadly over towards the babies, "then we'd be able to protect the Digitama." Just seeing how badly he was hurt, paralyzed me with fear. I needed to evolve him, but I didn't know how.

In contrast, Gold became enraged and ran towards the fallen caretaker's side. "Elecmon!" His head turned towards the baby Digimon who were now crying. Shaking in anger, the explosive boy glared up at the large Digimon as he towered over us. The older teen had the nerve to yell at DarkKnightmon. "What do you think you're doing pushing around someone who's in charge of raising these kids!?"

DarkKnightmon looked at him amusingly. "Another human? You don't seem to be a Chosen Child."

"You'd better answer!" Gold stood up and took out his pool cue. He extended it threateningly.

The large Digimon laughed. "You're an interesting child. To humor you, I'll answer. You must understand that all Digimon are born and raised here." He picked up a nearby Digitama. "If I can get rid of the current caretaker, _I_ can rule over the Primary Village and raise the Digimon myself. Eventually, all will be under my rule as any Digimon who dies will become a part of my army!" He came closer to Gold. "Now get out of my way, child! There's no way you could fight me off!"

Gold gripped his cue tightly. "I guess you're right…" He suddenly made a face at the Digimon. "Not!" He furiously stabbed his cue into the Digimon and caught the Digitama DarkKnightmon caught before grabbing Elecmon. "Explotaro, Politaro, attack!"

A small burning mouse and polliwog blasted DarkKnightmon with fire and water. Caught off guard, the Digimon fell backwards. "Brat! You will not be able to defeat me with such puny creatures!"

"No, I definitely will!" Gold stood tall with his back towards me but I could just imagine his burning expression. "After all, I'm the Hatcher of miracles, Gold! Let's go!" He seemed to glow in a pale yellow light as he dove towards DarkKnightmon with his Pokémon charging alongside him.

At that moment, my D-3 reacted and Chibimon glowed with a white light. "Chibimon evolve! V-mon!"

Realizing my partner was now in a state ready to armor evolve, I let out a determined shout. "Digimental Up!"

"V-mon armor evolve! Roaring Friendship, Lighdramon!" My partner ran after Gold before launching himself towards DarkKnightmon. "Lightning Bite!"

"Great job, Lighdramon!" I cried.

Gold smirked at me. "So we're working together, huh?" He looked over towards his Pokémon and my Digimon. "I've got an idea, so just follow my lead!" He ran off again while taunting the large Digimon. "Don't tell me you're done already? Just a few hits from my Pokémon and you're down? I thought you'd be more of a challenge, you medieval freak!"

"No human will insult me with such small attacks!" DarkKnightmon rose to his feet and chased after the boy. "Come here, worm!"

I watched Gold lure the Digimon away from the village. I didn't want to go after him, but Lighdramon looked towards me. "Daisuke," he said.

I couldn't bring myself to climb on and go after Gold. He didn't care about the Digital World, but he changed all of a sudden after those baby Digimon and Digitama were put into danger. Just who was this kid? I couldn't trust him.

I heard some groaning and realized I had forgotten about Elecmon. I looked at the poor caretaker and saw how hurt he was. He was in no shape to protect the Village right now. As a Chosen Child I had to do it in his place. It made me angry with myself that Gold was doing it for me. Despite our mutual dislike towards one another, he was still going to trust that I would follow him to protect something both knew was important to the Digital World. Even if he didn't believe in the Digimon as much as I did, he was still going to risk himself to lure DarkKnightmon away!

I placed a determined hand on Raidramon's shoulder and climbed on. "Let's go! We've got to help Gold!"

By the time I found Gold, things were even worse for his Pokémon as they've been taking a lot of hits. They kept going though and finally, Gold found an opening and thrust his cue forward like a javelin. The billiard cue stuck itself into DarkKnightmon's body and it was too risky for him to pull the cue out.

DarkKnightmon became annoyed by Gold's bold action and roared. "You will pay for your insolence!" He spun his spear in circles before turning on the small Pokémon. "Twin Spear!" He slammed his weapons against them and pinned them to the ground. Gold ran to try to help them but DarkKnightmon swung his weapon to knock the boy back towards me.

The blow paralyzed Gold but he looked up and saw me. "So you made it after all, Goggle Brat," he said with as much energy as he could.

"Are you an idiot?" I shouted. "Your Pokémon are too small! They could never beat something as big as—"

"Shut up!" he yelled back with determination burning in his gold eyes. "I don't care how big or strong my enemies are compared to my Pokémon. They're my partners and they never give up. That means there's no reason why I should!" He tried getting up but collapsed weakly.

I climbed off of Lighdramon. "Don't be such an idiot!" I cried as I helped him up.

He threw a weak punch that lightly hit my jaw. "You don't get it still?" He pushed down on me as he got back to his feet. "I told you, there's no reason for me to give up if my partners are still fighting!"

I stood back up and noticed what he was talking about. All of Gold's Pokémon were weak but they still stood up. Two of them still had enough energy to keep going with full force though. They were his smallest Pokémon. Seeing them try so hard made Gold smirk as he went to back them up.

"Togetaro! Pich! Take him down!"

Seeing the older boy display so much determination despite our situation pumped me up. I ran beside him and turned towards Lighdramon, "You too! Let's go, Lighdramon! Burn him to a crisp with your roaring thunder!" My partner nodded and rejoined the fight. With the extra support, Togetaro and Pich were able to annoy DarkKnightmon while Lighdramon layered on the attacks.

Gold smirked at me. "Let's finish this, Goggle Boy!"

I nodded, slightly surprised the change in nickname. "Lighdramon! Finish him!"

My partner charged up electricity on the spikes on his back for his signature Blue Thunder attack. Instead of sending to blast away DarkKnightmon, however, he sent it toward Pich who quickly became energized with the power. Togetaro continued to barrage DarkKnightmon with intense tackles that seemed to return damage to the small egg Pokémon, but Togetaro didn't let up until Pich was completely powered up.

Gold let out a roar and pointed towards the billiard cue still sticking out of DarkKnightmon's shoulder. My eyes widened when I realized it made a good lightning rod to attract our final attack. "Blue Miracle Thunder!" Pich let out all of the electricity he stored in his body and a thick bolt of blue lightning erupted from the critter's tiny body.

I held my breath until the dust cleared and was excited when we won. "That was amazing!"

Lighdramon reverted to V-mon and my partner smiled up at me. "Daisuke, we did it!"

"Yeah, we protected Primary Village!" I jumped when I remembered we had left Elecmon alone. "We've got to go back!"

Gold smirked as picked up his cue and used it as a walking stick. "We all did great. Let's go!" He waited for his Pokémon to get up and the two of us walked behind them on our way back.

Elecmon had recovered enough when we got back that he was reassuring the babies. When he saw Gold and I return, he jumped with a start. "Daisuke, Gold! A new egg just appeared so I guess it's DarkKnightmon. Don't worry about a thing. I'll raise him to be a good Digimon in the future." Elecmon smirked at me. "So I guess you are a Chosen Child since you managed to beat such a strong Digimon."

"Actually," I admitted, "it was Gold who saved Primary Village."

Gold laughed triumphantly. "See? I told you I would defeat DarkKnightmon!" He looked at the Digitama and babies with pride. "I had to for these little fellows' sakes." He paused as his smile became a slight frown. "Say, Elecmon, did you say _all_ Digimon were born here?"

"Yeah, why?"

The red Digimon and I watched as Gold went down and filled a few baby bottles full with dirt. "I'm just making sure." He stared at the bottles of dirt and smiled again before turning to me. "So where should we head, Goggle Boy? After your friends or mine? There's a particular friend I'm looking for who would do well with these bottles, but you have any suggestions?"

I looked at him with surprise. Just earlier today we had been fighting, now it seemed as though he had grown up. He was more mature than I had given him credit for. He was actually a lot of fun too, I admit. There was going to be a lot I could learn from him.

I blinked at him oddly. "You're really going to work with me?"

"Why not? You might be annoying, but you've got guts if you think you'd be able to best me in a fight. Plus, with you around, we'd be able to pull off more Blue Miracle Thunders!" He smirked down at V-mon. "Just because this world is like a game, doesn't mean I'm going to risk losing. We'll be stronger if we work together, just like we did to protect this place."

Elecmon nodded approvingly at us. "See? This is what makes a Chosen Child, Daisuke. Gold has a compassion and kindness towards the Digitama that's extremely unique to himself. You two working together would create trouble, but the good kind that helps those in need."

I nodded. "Okay, then. We'll work together from now on."

Gold winked at me. "Just try to keep up, Goggle Boy." He frowned when he thought of something. "I can't help but shake the feeling I've seen those two evolutions before though. What were their names? Lighdramon and Fladramon? I know I've seen them somewhere before I met you."

"That's impossible though," I stated. Then I remembered the sense of déjà vu I had fighting Gold when his Pokémon were fully evolved. "But… I get that feeling too. Do you know something called the Digimental of Miracles?"

* * *

~RUBY~

I lined up my Pokémon and assessed them carefully. "All of you have de-evolved…" I stated seriously. "But you've all kept your beauty!" I happily began petting them and grooming them. "That's okay. No matter what form you are all in, you are all beautiful." I especially beamed at my Mimi.

Meanwhile, a girl wearing a pink t-shirt and white skirt stared at me with her small green Digimon. Both wore odd expressions as they watched me work. The Digimon was the first to say something. "Mimi… this boy is completely different from those other boys."

"That's because I have no interest in battles," I said haughtily. "Fighting is barbaric and it gets my clothes dirty."

The girl stood up and frowned at me. "So then what were you doing during Apocalymon's attack?"

"Hiding," I lied. "I might have attacked a few times, but it didn't do anything since I was quickly captured."

Mimi studied me carefully. "Really?"

I suddenly felt nervous. "Yes…"

"Are you really being truthful? I could have sworn your friend wearing blue called out your name for help."

"No, Sapphire was just coming to _my_ aid," I said as convincingly as I could manage.

"You sound sad when you say that," Mimi noted. "Are you really being true to your heart?"

I didn't reply as I continued to brush Coco's fur. Despite this girl being the same age as Sapphire, she was a lot more mature and insightful than I gave her credit for.

We were silent for a long time. I was busy grooming my Pokémon while Mimi was watching and waiting for me to do something. Eventually, Mimi let out a sigh and stood back up.

"I'm going to look for everyone else. Nothing is going to happen if we just wait here." She looked down to her Digimon. "Come on, Tanemon."

"Wait!" I cried out in surprise. "Don't just leave me here in the wilderness alone! I could be attacked and end up as Digimon food!" I looked around the menacing forest and quickly packed up my grooming kit.

"You're very odd," Tanemon said as I finished.

"But I guess you can follow us," Mimi said. "I'm not sure if I can protect you or not though since I'm not particularly the best fighter."

"No, it's okay. I'll try to fight too! Just so long as it doesn't require my Pokémon getting dirty, I'll try." I would use my real strength whenever she wasn't looking. Hopefully she wouldn't suspect anything though otherwise, it would just be a repeat of what happened between Sapphire and me. I returned everyone to their balls but left Ruru out. "How about I take the lead since Ruru has psychic abilities? She can use her powers to sense the emotions around her and figure out where the others are."

Mimi let me get ahead and we followed Ruru carefully. Ruru made sure to avoid any strange encounter so that it would lessen the amount of fighting we would face through our travels. But we ended up getting even more lost when Mimi thought we were just going in circles.

"Haven't we passed this tree before?" she asked as I tried to study our surroundings.

"I don't know," I answered. "All of these look the same to me."

Tanemon frowned. "Mimi… I don't like it here. There are eyes watching us from the shadows."

"Don't scare me, Tanemon!" the girl cried as she looked around us.

Apparently the small Digimon was right though because Ruru couldn't find a way to get past. We were surrounded by Digimon and we might have to fight them. I huddled closer to my Pokémon as the four of us bunched together. I gulped when all of the Digimon around us jumped at us, resulting in Mimi and me screaming for our lives.

* * *

~HIKARI~

"Come back, our queen… Come back to us…" The shadowy figures from the Dark World reached out for me.

I squirmed backwards and shook my head. "No… Leave me alone!" I gripped my head and called out for help. "Taichi! Tailmon! Takeru!" I let out a scream as I felt a cold hand touch me.

"Hikari!" I jumped awake to Plotmon's voice and realized I wasn't in the Dark World. "It's okay, I'm here." I tightly hugged my partner and breathed heavily. I tried to calm myself down before staring down at my shadow sadly. I felt some sadness coming from it and reached down towards the silhouette.

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean to cause me nightmares. Can you come out and help us though?"

The silhouette nodded and came out from my shadow, revealing the dark figure I had encountered at home. He had told Plotmon he was Darkrai and he had the ability to cause nightmares to those sleeping around him. He didn't do it on purpose or with malice but still, his ability created many problems for him.

"Darkrai, do you—?"

"What are you doing with that Pokémon in your shadow?" someone cried nearby. I looked up in the trees and noticed the girl wearing a blue bandana and clothes staring down at me. She immediately leapt down without injuring herself and prepared to battle the Pokémon. "That Pokémon caused a great deal of trouble for my seniors!"

"Please don't fight Darkrai!" I got in between the girl's orange chick and the dark Pokémon. "I kept him in my shadow only because he came to me badly injured. Plus," I looked down meekly, "I own the Crest of Light so it is always attracting the darkness…"

Darkrai stared at the girl for a long time before sharply turning his head towards his left. He quickly darted into the forest, leaving me lost and confused.

"Darkrai?"

The girl's glare was redirected towards something else as her head sharply turned towards the direction the Pokémon disappeared to. "Something dark is there. So I guess you were right, kid. We've got to go now while Darkrai is distracting it!" She quickly grabbed my arm and started running in the opposite direction.

"We're leaving Darkrai behind?" I asked her.

Her free hand held the side of her head as if there was a loud noise bothering her. "We don't really have a choice. I heard a loud roar just now. Darkrai is a legendary Pokémon so will be okay. Compared to him, the two of us will have trouble. I only have Chaka, Ronono, Phadodo, and Tororo with me. Without a full team or fully evolved Pokémon, we'll be overpowered easily. Plus, I see that your Digimon isn't evolved either."

I looked down at Plotmon and noticed she was right. Without the ability to evolve, we'd be quickly defeated. I couldn't bring myself to fully abandon the dark figure though.

As if she knew what I was thinking, the girl frowned and looked at me. "We've got to be strong right now. Without Red or your bushy-haired leader, we've got to figure out what to do for ourselves."

"My brother?" I thought of Taichi and immediately nodded. "Right."

She smirked at me. "So that Taichi guy is your older brother, huh?" We began to slow down and she finally stopped when she could no longer hear whatever it was that caught Darkrai's attention. "What's your name?"

"Hikari Yagami," I answered, "owner of the Crest and Digimental of Light." I looked down at my partner and introduced her too. "This is Plotmon."

"Well I'm Sapphire Birch. My dad is the Professor of Hoenn region, where I'm from. As for my own achievements, I conquered all of the Hoenn League gyms in eighty days," she said proudly. "I even saved my homeland from a giant threat too, along with my best friend Ruby."

"The two of you must be powerful trainers," I noted. "Everything I've done, it has always been with my brother and Plotmon helping me."

Plotmon looked up towards me. "And if Taichi is unavailable, Takeru is always there to give us support too."

I nodded in agreement.

Sapphire frowned. "You're lucky to have so many people ready to go to your aid. I wish Ruby was like that." She stared off into the distance before blinking her eyes. "What?" She rubbed her eyes and looked again. "Is that a Digimon wearing clothes?"

I turned to see what she was pointing towards and noticed a Gekomon wearing a soldier's uniform. He seemed to be having trouble with keeping his shirt straight and he fixed his pants every few seconds as he patrolled the area.

Curious, Sapphire and I walked up to him. He jumped as Sapphire's small chick jumped in front of him. "A Pokémon, geko!" When he noticed us two girls, he calmed down. "Humans! That means you aren't going to attack the Grace!"

"Grace?" I asked. "Is there a ruler around here?"

Sapphire crossed her arms. "And what's with that costume? I thought Digimon don't wear clothes. That's almost as ridiculous as a Pokémon wearing accessories." She stuck her tongue out in distaste.

"The Grace made these clothes! He defended our castle from a siege, along with Mimi."

"Mimi is here!" I exclaimed with surprise.

My friend simply continued to frown. "I bet this Grace is Ruby. I don't know anyone else crazy enough to make clothes for Digimon."

Plotmon looked up at Gekomon. "Can you lead us to the castle to see this 'Grace'?"

"Of course! His Grace specifically mentioned to escort humans to the castle."

We arrived to the castle and the Gekomon sent an Otamamon upstairs to notify their Grace. It didn't take long before Mimi came down, wearing a beautiful pink dress with white satin ribbons. Her hair was in an updo that must have taken a while to design, but it was pretty nonetheless. She was happy to see us and quickly invited us upstairs. "It sure it great to see you safe. Ruby is busy right now but he expects to see you both."

"So Ruby is alright after all," Sapphire said while frowning at Mimi's dress. "Just how did you both get here? And why is Ruby 'his Grace'?"

"It's a long story and I'm not sure of what happened myself." Mimi thought it over carefully before she continued. "When we woke up this morning, we walked around for a while, but became surrounded by a bunch of shadowy creatures that didn't seem to be Pokémon or Digimon."

* * *

~MIMI~

I tried my best to recount the tale of what happened to Ruby and me earlier. I was unsure about the exact specifics because everything was confusing and it made no sense how we were safe.

We were stuck and I didn't know what to do. All of Ruby's Pokémon didn't seem as if they could fight, but they gave their best to defend us. Even Tanemon, who couldn't evolve, was fighting despite us knowing we couldn't do much.

"Mimi!" My partner became locked in one of the shadow's grip.

"Tanemon!" I glared at the shadows. "What do you think you're doing? Let Tanemon go!" I picked up a rock and tried to throw it.

It hit the creature and made it turn towards me. When it looked at me though, it suddenly froze up, dropped Tanemon and retreated. I turned around to see what could have spooked it because it couldn't have been me. All I saw was Ruby, looking worriedly at Ruru. Apparently, the small Pokémon was hit by an attack it couldn't really handle so Ruby had been busy looking through his bag for a potion.

When he looked around, he smiled at me. "Hey, you drove them off! That's good."

I looked at him oddly. "But I didn't really do much."

"Maybe it was surprised that you retaliated like that?"

I shrugged and we continued onward. Soon, we saw more of those shadows and did our best to evade them. They were surrounding something and it took me a while to recognize this area.

"Tonosama Gekomon's castle!" I pointed towards the large building towering the mass of shadows. "It must be caught in a siege right now."

"How do we get in?" Ruby asked as he carefully peered out behind a tree to check if the coast was clear.

"Maybe we can help, geko!" A small voice caught our attention and I smiled as I saw a small group of Digimon pop up from their hiding spots.

"Gekomon, Otamamon!" Tanemon quietly cried out.

Ruby looked at them carefully. "They're not enemies?"

I shook my head. "They're good friends of mine. What's going on in the castle?"

"Everybody is panicking, tama! We can't fight off the shadows, tama. We're trying to wait for them to give up, but they have our main entrances surrounded, tama. We have underground paths, but we're using them only to send groups out to search for help, tama. It's great to see that you're here, Mimi!" an Otamamon said.

"We'll definitely help," I reassured them. I looked over towards Ruby and he nodded in agreement.

"Can you lead us inside? We'll plan something from there," he suggested. He looked around carefully as the Gekomon and Otamamon began to lead us to one of the secret entrances to a tunnel.

As we walked, Ruby stumbled over a tree root, making a loud noise. A nearby group of shadows spotted us and Ruby panicked. "Ah! Don't hurt me!" He ran off while shouting, causing more and more shadows to notice and go after him.

I was about to call after him, but Ruru covered my mouth. Her horn began to glow and she pointed towards the steps leading down to the tunnel. I reluctantly climbed down with the others and we managed to make it into the tunnel safely. When she knew we were safe, Ruru lifted her arms and disappeared.

I blinked but a few seconds later, Ruru reappeared with Ruby and the rest of his Pokémon. "Don't hurt me, please!" When he realized he was safe, he looked around and smiled meekly at me. "Oh, so Ruru used Teleport. We're safe!"

I helped the boy and he dusted himself off. "Ruby, you could have gotten into trouble. You can't run off on your own like that."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry. I panicked," he said, straightening his hat.

We reached the main castle and everybody seemed worried. "Mimi!" the Digimon warmly greeted me once they realized I had arrived.

"Everyone! I missed you all so much, but it's too bad this isn't a good time. We need to do something about this invasion."

"How about we battle them from here?" Ruby said as he looked out the window. He studied his Pokémon and the Digimon carefully. "I might not like fighting or be great at it but I might know a few things my dad taught me as a Gym Leader that can help us."

The boy quickly put the Digimon into formations. The Gekomon were to line up by the entrances and lower windows. The Otamamon were placed on the high ground and Ruby placed a blue four-legged mudfish and a brown odd-looking fish with them. A small dark grey puppy and pink kitty ran around the entire castle, sniffing out intruders, and Ruby told me I should follow in case they would have to fight. A small cloud-like Pokémon positioned herself outside and the clear sky instantly became overcast. The clouds appeared ready to rain and the Pokémon turned into a blue miniature storm cloud. Ruru continued to follow her trainer as he went around, making sure everything was ready.

On Popo's signal, the rain began to fall and it boosted the water-based attacks the Otamamon on the terraces used. I followed Coco and Nana intently, but there didn't seem to be a need to. A few of the shadows broke our defenses, but the Gekomon were quick to defeat them on their own. In the midst of it all, I didn't see Ruby at all, only until the end when the Gekomon stated the shadows were retreating.

Ruby reappeared then, teleporting into the room with Ruru. Looking around, he let out a sigh of relief that the danger was gone. The Gekomon and Otamamon were very grateful for his plan and became in his debt. He didn't abuse it as much as I did, but he sure did make a lot of changes.

"I guess that's why the Digimon are wearing clothes," Sapphire said after I finished. "But there's something about the story that doesn't make any sense. The Gekomon and Otamamon don't look very strong so how did you all manage to beat an army of those shadow creatures?"

Her question made sense, but I didn't have an answer for her. Something in my gut made me feel that Ruby was keeping more from me than I had previously thought, but with such an odd behavior, I had to think otherwise. "I'm not really sure, Sapphire," I answered. "It bothers me too, but now that I try to think about it, there were a lot less shadows attacking the castle than I thought there would be."

Hikari became thoughtful. "That is odd." She shivered. "Those shadow creatures… What did they look like, Mimi?"

I described them to her as best as I could and the younger girl grew pale. Sapphire and I noticed this. "Is something the matter, Hikari?" I asked.

She didn't answer that question but just lowered her head. "We need to find the others soon."

"Yeah," Sapphire agreed as we stopped in front of the room Ruby was in. "Let's just get Ruby and go."

When we opened the door, Ruby was putting the finishing touches on a new set of clothes that was shorter and stockier than him. He turned to us and smiled. "What do you think of this light blue scheme for Dia? It goes well with these designs for Pearl and Platinum, right?" When he got a better look at us, his eyes widened with excitement. "Sapphire! This is perfect! I have a few dresses I want you to try on. Come on!"

The brunette stared at him with an annoyed expression before exploding with a wild rage. "We're in the middle of trouble and you're making useless clothes!?"

* * *

MIMI (Palmon): So is there a way to tell me apart from Ruby's Feebas?

IXEN (Charmander): ...Not really, but I guess Author will just say Ruby's Mimi? I just can't over the fact that Author is finally starting her novel. I'm glad but I hate the hero she's starting with._  
_

HIKARI (Tailmon): Really? He seems nice, Ixen-kun.

IXEN (Charmander): ...Of course he does. Well, you readers know the drill. Review if you want Author to start on Chapter 7. Otherwise, it's back to White Version nuzlocke, Dragon Nest, or Chemistry homework.


	7. A Broken Trio and Champion

AUTHOR (Currently feeling Guilty): SORRY, SORRY! I apologize for my very late update. I normally don't have this long a gap, but I couldn't help it. Between all my science classes, video games, and mental insanity, there wasn't really a good time for me to write. There might be longer gaps coming up, because I think the only time I _do_ have time to write stuff is during the summer, or whenever I have absolutely no homework (which is never). And for those wanting to know what happen to Ruby and Sapphire, sorry too. The pacing didn't really suit me so they probably won't be back until about two chapters. Instead, let's move on too... well, if it wasn't obvious enough by the chapter title: the Sinnoh trio and Red.

IXEN (Annoyed): About time. You can't go abandoning things you start now... Then again, that's totally like you to if you don't have the same drive for it.

RED (Pleased): Come on, Ixen. She's busy putting her drive into other things that are necessary, like the future.

TAKERU (Calm): Yeah. Red-san is right. We're not the only ones fighting for our future.

* * *

~PLATINUM~

The steady rhythm of the morning sound got louder and louder, urgently reminding me of Diamond and Pearl. I opened my eyes, expecting to see Pearl's relief and Diamond's cheerfulness but I saw instead a boy with cropped reddish hair holding my Pokédex.

I was about to scream for help and try to take my Pokédex back but he quickly shushed me and handed it back. He looked nervously at the small pink Digimon sticking his head out of the digital tree we hid in. The elastic Digimon came back in and nodded. "The danger is gone, Koushiro."

The older boy sighed in relief. "That's good." He looked down at me and checked to make sure I was okay. "You're not hurt, are you, Lady?"

I shook my head and studied him carefully. He was the boy that had been with Diamond's blonde friend and was the same boy who was trying to fix the small television. If Diamond trusted these people I would have to attempt to try, but I still had some misgivings about this world.

The Digital World was a strange and curious place filled with danger. I had hoped to follow Green to learn more as it didn't seem as though I could learn as much from Red. The Chosen Children didn't seem very knowledgeable of the Digital World so it would have done me no good to follow along after them.

This particular teenager seemed different from the rest however. His eyes were filled with an unusual amount of curiosity. "I didn't quite get your name," I said as I got to my feet.

He quickly straightened up and bowed to me. "Koushiro! Koushiro Izumi, second year middle school! It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady."

His Digimon partner looked at him and sighed. "You're still so formal, Koushiro." The Digimon looked up to me and held up his right hand. "I'm Mochimon. And your name is Lady?"

"She's a noble, Mochimon," Koushiro quickly said. He bowed apologetically towards me. "Sorry if we offend you. We're just not used to people of high class." His eyes widened at what he said. "That's not to say that we're crude or anything! Actually—"

"Koushiro, you're making the situation worse," Mochimon stated. The Digimon looked up at me and apologized himself. "Please excuse Koushiro. Sometimes he doesn't know how to act around people since he's normally absorbed in his research and computer."

The redhead closed his mouth and sighed. "Yeah…"

I calmly smiled at the two. "No, it is okay. Travelling with Diamond and Pearl has taught me a lot about the lives of everyone else in the outside world. For most of my childhood, I was homeschooled by my father who was a research aid for Professor Rowan." I was intrigued by Koushiro's work. "You are a researcher?"

Koushiro stared at me oddly before his eyes lit up with curiosity. "No, I'm still a student but I intend to become a researcher when I am older. I study the Digital World right now as a hobby, but there's always something new and exciting to learn. But," his smile faltered as he stared at the tree's entrance, "I suppose I can't do anything about that now."

"Well, as long as I'm here, there's nothing to worry about, Koushiro," Mochimon said as he happily inflated himself before letting out the air in a relieved sigh. "We'll just learn as we go along, just as we've always done!"

I smiled at two before thinking of my own team. I checked my Poké Balls and realized only four of my six Pokémon were with me. "Where are Empoleon and Rapidash?" I asked them.

My Pokémon turned their heads towards the entrance, making me rather confused and worried. There was currently no danger so why were Empoleon and Rapidash not in their Poké Balls? Could something have happened to them?

I rushed outside and blinked back the bright sunlight that managed to get past the rainforest's thick canopy. I heard some rustling and immediately turned around. I spotted the flames of my fire Pokémon so knew they were trying to hide.

"Lady!" Koushiro came out too and noticed I was intently staring at where my two Pokémon were. "You're worried about your Pokémon… Those four with you I managed to get into their balls easily. Those two however seemed rather upset and wouldn't return no matter what. Your small penguin chick seemed the most upset though, even attempting to fight against the Kuwagamon that threatened to get near the tree."

"Small penguin chick?" I repeated. I clenched my fist and determinedly stared into the trees. "Ponyta, Piplup, come out!"

I sensed their hesitation before Ponyta willingly revealed himself to me. Piplup sat on his back with her back turned towards us. I felt my pride as a trainer hurt since something as impossible as this has happened. This must have been why Ponyta and Piplup refused to go into their Poké Balls. It wouldn't have mattered either way since I would have found out sooner or later, but my Pokémon and I shared the same fierce pride.

"Koushiro," Mochimon spoke up after a long moment of silence, "we have to get going before other Digimon show up."

"That's right," the boy realized. "Since we're separated from the others, the first thing we need to do is to go look for them."

I looked up at that. My two devolved Pokémon finally turned to face me at the thought of training with them again. If we could find another of our comrades, both Pokémon could evolve to their former state. I remembered the reason I had awaken and stared at my Pokédex.

"Diamond and Pearl must be nearby!" I exclaimed.

Koushiro was surprised by how certain I was of that statement. "How are you so sure? Mochimon and I were calling for help but we couldn't find any sign of the others."

"My Pokédex made the morning sound! When three Pokédexes of the same model come together they ring. Diamond and Pearl are near," I gripped the machine tightly.

The redhead sadly shook his head. "Sorry, but they're not. I was looking through your Pokédex on my computer and when I was about to return it, your Pokédex, watch, my Digivice, and D-Terminal suddenly went off." I lowered my gaze to my Pokétch. "The beeping didn't last long but I thought the sound was going to attract attention from dangerous Digimon. It didn't go off because your friends were close though, but it did have a strange reaction to my equipment."

"I see…" I was greatly disappointed, but there was nothing else to be done or said. I then realized he had been going through my things. "You were studying my Pokédex?"

"You dropped it and I got curious as to how it functioned!" Koushiro quickly tried to explain himself. "It was wrong of me but I had to learn something." Koushiro froze when the ground shook. "Mochimon? Is that a Digimon or more of those shadows?"

"Shadows?" I looked around carefully as the thought of the creatures I encountered on Captain Eldritch's ship. Piplup jumped onto the ground and prepared to fight and I climbed onto Ponyta's back.

A loud roar caused Mochimon and Piplup to jump. "Kuwagamon!" Mochimon dodged out of the way as a large red insect Digimon slammed its pincer into the ground. "Koushiro!"

"There's nothing we can do but run!" Koushiro tightened his shoulder strap and motioned for me to go ahead. "A Baby-level won't do anything against an Adult," he said with a frown.

I nodded in understanding and had Ponyta start. Something caught my eye on my left though and I quickly yelled out an attack. "Ponyta, use Flamethrower!"

The Pinsir dodged the attack and charged towards us with its sharp pincers open. Piplup rammed its beak into the Pokémon and proudly puffed up her chest. She then quickly turned around and used Water Pulse to give Koushiro and Mochimon enough time to catch up.

The tall boy thanked Piplup and took out his D-Terminal. "Lady! Please find a safe place for us to hide. I'll try to e-mail the others and let them know we're—" his eyes grew wide as he stared at the small machine's screen.

"Senior Koushiro?" I asked with some concern.

"Never mind me. We need to get out of danger."

Mochimon jumped into the air. "Elastic Bubbles!" Sticky bubbles attached themselves to a Pinsir going after them. The Pokémon struggled but got stuck to a nearby tree. "Koushiro, I see something up ahead."

I turned my head towards the direction the small Digimon pointed to. I was able to make out a pyramid ruin past the trees. "We'll go there," I stated as I guided Ponyta.

"Okay," Koushiro nodded.

As we got closer to the ruin, less Pinsir and Kuwagamon chased us. Soon we were safe, but we didn't take any chances as we carefully made sure nothing inside would attack us. Koushiro found an empty chamber and I followed him. I climbed off of Ponyta's back and noticed some strange runes etched into the cave walls.

"What language is this, Senior Koushiro?"

"I can't read it myself but it should be DigiLetters."

"That's right!" Mochimon cried. "It's the written language of Digimon. This ruin is filled with them."

"Should we decode it?" I asked. "It might be important."

Koushiro shook his head. "I've been here before. It's the Temple of the Digivice."

"Weren't we with Mimi at that time, Koushiro?" Mochimon looked up at his partner.

"I don't really remember."

"I remember! You were too absorbed in your computer to notice Mimi went off into the labyrinth. I got lost with her in there!"

Koushiro's face went red with embarrassment. "Oh, that's right!" He paused and stared at the doorway leading into a long hallway. "Without a proper guide, it's easy to get lost in there forever."

I nodded in understanding. "Is there a way for us to navigate it?"

"We'll need my laptop," the boy said as he unpacked it from its case. "But first, is there something different about your watch? Back when I wanted to e-mail the others, this came onto the screen of my D-Terminal." He handed me the device and I was surprised to see the Pokédex page for Piplup.

I curiously inspected my watch and checked its applications. I found something new. "This is?" I pointed it towards Mochimon and another screen came. "A Digimon Analyzer?"

"So your watch gained some functions of the Digivice?" Koushiro seemed intrigued by the thought and immediately turned to his laptop. "I have to look into this immediately."

"Maybe I can be of some assistance?" I offered.

He nodded his head. "I know it was wrong of me before to look over your Pokédex without permission, but can I see your watch and Pokédex?"

I placed my things next to his Digivice and D-Terminal. "Okay."

"What are all of the functions of your machines, starting with your Pokédex?" He prepared himself to type down notes.

"The Pokédex is able to collect and recall information for any species of Pokémon, even holding the ability to track certain Pokémon. Each one is registered specifically to a Dex Holder, so will ring when they come together and held by its correct owner. There's a cancel evolution function in case we do not want our Pokémon to evolve. In battle, our Pokédex is capable of gauging a Pokémon's health, level, and known attacks," I recited everything I've read from Professor Oak's letter to Professor Rowan.

"So it seems that my D-Terminal, originally meant to send e-mails between the other Chosen Children, has adopted the information function. There's another function the D-Terminal has but the younger Chosen Children are the only ones capable of using it to store their Digimentals used for Armor Evolution." He looked down at my pink watch. "Now what about this?"

"My Pokétch has different applications to do all sorts of things. It contains a map of Sinnoh, clock, pedometer, and calculator. I mainly used it as a phone but there seems to be some interference preventing me from calling Diamond, Pearl, and our seniors. Before leaving Sinnoh with Diamond and Pearl, we all had new applications installed but I did not get a chance to see what they are for."

"And now it has an application that can link to the Digimon Analyzer," Koushiro added. "The Digivice can identify Digimon but all of that data can only be accessed again with this special port in my laptop." He pointed to the strange slot located near the top of his keyboard. "The Digivice also contains a tracker that can locate other Digivices and has the power to dispel darkness. The most important function is its ability to gather up human emotion and energy, allowing me to evolve Mochimon up to Adult level, but all regular evolution seems to be jammed. Under normal circumstances, I could combine my Digivice's evolution abilities with my Crest of Knowledge to bring my partner up to Perfect level, but it's impossible now."

"Knowledge?" I asked.

Mochimon nodded. "That's Koushiro's special trait as a Chosen Child. He's the holder of the Crest of Knowledge."

"I see! This makes it easier for me to trust that Senior Koushiro can find the answers to our problems." I bowed my head respectfully and prepared myself to learn from him.

Koushiro stared at me oddly and nervously smiled. "What's this for, Lady? I'm not that knowledgeable. There's still a lot that I don't know yet."

"But as a person close to the Knowledge Pokémon, Uxie, I believe Senior Koushiro is capable of learning what needs to be done to save the Digital World."

"Knowledge Pokémon Uxie…?" Koushiro's eyes widened as he understood what I meant. "So Knowledge is your trait too." He paused to stare at our four devices and smiled. "Okay then I'll get started on uncovering the secrets behind why our worlds linked." Koushiro glanced outside our shelter. "You should rest, Lady. It's getting dark outside."

"Will you need my help, Senior Koushiro?" I picked up my Pokédex and put my Pokétch back on.

"It would be better if you slept. I'll be fine." He rubbed his eyes and gave me a reassuring smile.

Mochimon frowned at his partner but the boy didn't see because he was busy linking his laptop to the ruins. "I'll keep an eye on Koushiro. He always gets like this whenever he finds something interesting."

I nodded and smiled. "Please take a break if you really need it, Senior Koushiro." The boy didn't respond as he had already gotten lost in his research.

Ponyta helped me start a fire to light up the ruin and keep us warm. I sent out all of my other Pokémon to feed them but remembered a seventh Poké Ball I had put into my bag. "Phione!" The baby Pokémon came out and smiled at me. It quickly looked for my bodyguards but I sadly shook my head. "The three of us separated."

The small Pokémon gave me a comforting hug and I felt a bit better. This small baby was hatched by the three of us so just the small act brought me a little closer to my friends. I wondered if the two boys were fine. It would be unbearable for me if they were hurt.

I shook my head to clear such thoughts. "Pearl is completely capable of taking care of himself and Manaphy. And Diamond has Gi and Rotom with him."

I looked around at my Pokémon and noticed they were dozing off. I stared into the fire and became drowsy myself, but I didn't want to sleep just yet. The steady clicks and clacks of Koushiro's typing were lulling too but something made me sit up.

Mochimon noticed me stir. "Lady? Is something wrong?"

I stared into the dark hallway leading into the labyrinth and stood. I saw the shadows of a short familiar bear-like Pokémon and another parrot Pokemon. My eyes widened in disbelief as a larger quad-pedal turtle Pokémon and fiery ape Pokémon stood side by side with their trainers in between them.

"Are they here?" I asked aloud to no one in particular.

Mochimon and Phione looked at each other. "Who, Lady?"

"Diamond and Pearl," I replied.

Both boys had their backs to me but Pearl turned to look at Dia. He smirked to his best friend. "We'll find Little Miss for sure."

The slower boy nodded. "Yeah. No matter what."

"Let's go!" They took off for deeper into the labyrinth and I called after them.

"No, I'm back here! Come back!" I took off after the boys.

Phione came after me in surprise, crying out for me to stop. Mochimon did the same and pulled on my leg. "Koushiro! Look up from your computer! We have an emergency! Koushiro! Lady, stop!"

"My friends are looking for me!" I stated with conviction as I passed the doorway leading into the hall.

* * *

~JOU~

"Ack! That stings!" Pearl shouted as I sprayed the cut on his arm with disinfectant.

"Just sit still and it'll be better," I said apologetically. "I'm almost done." I bandaged the wound carefully and stood up. "Okay, you and your Pokémon are all treated."

"Jou…" I looked down at Pukamon.

"Oh right! I need to treat you, too." I knelt down and diagnosed his injuries.

Pearl stood up and looked around. "So do you have any idea where in the Digital World we are?"

I shook my head. "Nothing seems familiar. After all that running this afternoon, we were lucky to even find this cave for shelter."

The younger blonde boy clenched his fists and went to the cave's mouth. "Dia! Little Miss! Are you out there?" He glanced down at his Pokédex and Pokétch before coming back in a collapsing. He curled up and glared into the flames. "The second time…"

I finished patching up my partner and stared at the boy oddly. "The second time what?"

"Dia, Little Miss, and I are separated," he glumly replied.

"Don't worry! They'll be fine! The Chosen Children are always getting split up like this!" I stated cheerfully.

"Jou…" Pukamon looked at me oddly.

I nervously tried to say something else to cheer Pearl up. "Er! It'll be harder for them to encounter danger now that the Digital World has been broken up!"

"Jou…" Pukamon was getting more annoyed.

I gave up trying to be optimistic. "Pearl, I'm sure your friends are fine. You're not alone at least."

Pearl looked up at that. "I'm… not alone?"

"Of course not," I said with a small smile. "You've got Pukamon and me here with you, right?" I stared into the fire and thought of the others. "I mean, Pukamon and I might not be strong like Taichi or Yamato, but we've made it through the Digital World on our own strength before."

"That's right, Jou! We were able to find Yamato and catch up with Sora and Taichi in time for the final fight against Piemon!"

Pearl sat up and smirked. "That sounds exciting. What happened when you were alone?"

I blushed as I remembered that time in the Digital World. "It was a bad time for all of the Chosen Children. Yamato went on his own separate path to search for himself while Taichi decided to lead the rest of us forward to fight the Dark Masters who had distorted the Digital World. Mimi didn't want to fight anymore because a lot of our allies had already died trying to protect us." I rubbed my eyes as they began to tear up.

"What about you?" Pearl asked.

"I chose to go with Mimi, to protect her. I… wanted to find my own strength and I couldn't leave Mimi on her own in the Digital World. We travelled for a while and met a few old enemies and friends. After an important Digimon friend died, Mimi and I solidified our will and reason for fighting and began looking for allies to aid us in the final fight." I smirked when I remembered asking Ogremon to join us to avenge Leomon. "We wanted to revive the Digital World so that the Digimon friends we lost would be reborn again in Primary Village."

"That's right!" Pukamon said. "And that's when Jou decided to travel on his own."

I nodded. "I wanted to walk down my own path just like Yamato had. I wanted to find him and learn what he did. It took a long time but we finally met and found Sora and Takeru. Those two took us back to Taichi where he was facing the final Dark Master, Piemon, alone. Taichi had been waiting for us to return because he believed in us."

"You guys were victorious," Pearl smirked.

"Of course, we were!" Pukamon cried. "It was no match for us!"

I nervously chuckled as both of us omitted the entire keychain incident. That was best not to be relived.

Pearl smiled to himself as he stared at the fire. I stared at him and noticed he was carefully holding onto a Poké Ball.

"How about you, Pearl?" I asked. "You and your friends must be pretty close."

His gaze softened at the Poké Ball he held. "Yeah. The three of us became inseparable. Originally, Dia and I were never meant to be Dex Holders. There was a mix-up and by coincidence, we were able to meet Little Miss. We travelled together under a misunderstanding, but Dia knew all along. He just never wanted to clear it up because he thought it would have ended our travels. His selfishness made me realize my own feelings about the situation and we swore to protect Little Miss in place of her true bodyguards."

I chuckled a bit. "What were you two really?"

"Aspiring comedians!" Pearl declared passionately. He laughed as he thought back on it. "Dia was the funny man while I played the straight man. Dia was never one to get angered easily because he's always so relaxed. I was the one always deciding for us what to do," he became a bit depressed, "but soon we met an enemy Dia refused to leave alone. I wanted to run and protect Little Miss, but Dia chose to fight and protect the future. Picking fights with other people is something he's never done before so we got into our own fight where he finally revealed to me his true feelings."

"His true feelings?" I repeated absently.

"Yeah, it was a big surprise for me, but I was proud of Dia and I chose to believe in his decision. We didn't win the battle against the enemy, but after that, we were closer than ever. Our manzai was a lot smoother and the three of us resumed our travels."

"So when did you three separate?" I asked.

Pearl paused and frowned. "That was a hard time for us too. We learned of news that Little Miss' father had been taken. Dia and I wanted to help her. We wanted to protect her, but we ended up hurting her." Pearl lifted an arm up to wipe his tears. "She found out the truth and didn't want to see us ever again. Our adventure was brought to an end just as Dia believed it would if the truth got out." Pearl calmed down but didn't raise his head to look at me. "Little Miss forgave us the next morning and I was relieved but it was short-lived. The three of us were a trio and she received news that the enemy we've encountered throughout our travels was going to drop a bomb on the three lakes of Sinnoh."

I blinked at that. "What would that achieve?" I asked.

"They wanted to awaken three legendary Pokémon who lived at those lakes. The bomb was going to be dropped on a set day but we had no idea which lake it was to be at, so we went our separate ways." Pearl fell silent as he looked at the Pokémon in his hand. "That next morning was hard on the three of us, because from that point on, we were alone." Pearl frown slowly turned into a smile as he went on. "When I saw them again, it was extremely hectic. There was smoke everywhere and everything was loud, but I heard it: the morning sound that greeted us every day during our travels. We were reunited and were able to stop Cyrus' ambitions together."

I smiled at the thought and began laughing. "The two of us are similar, aren't we?"

Pearl laughed too. "Well, yeah. We have a strong will burning in our hearts. If there's something to be done, we'll see it through no matter what."

I nodded and was startled when the Poké Ball in Pearl's hand suddenly shook. "Ah! What's going on?"

"Manaphy?" Pearl stared into the ball and let out a translucent blue baby Pokémon. "What's wrong?" The small Pokémon stared outside worriedly and Pearl was careful to watch it.

"What Pokémon is that?" Pukamon asked curiously.

"A mirage Pokémon of Sinnoh," the blonde replied. "It's a legendary Pokémon the three of us hatched after resolving some loose ends left over from our initial adventure. It was supposed to be with Dia since most Pokémon preferred being with him and he's the best at uncovering their emotions, but he handed Manaphy to me and Little Miss. There's another Pokémon that goes with Manaphy, but Little Miss must have Phione with her." Pearl stared at the ocean. "I hope everyone else is doing all right."

I studied the boy's face and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure they're fine. In the morning, we'll go after them."

Pearl's smile widened. "Right!"

"Uh, Jou?"

I looked down at Pukamon. "What's wrong?"

"Manaphy is leaving!"

Pearl and I turned to the cave's entrance and saw the small Pokémon slip away. Pearl hurriedly chased after it. "Wait, Manaphy! Where are you going?"

I got to the entrance and saw Pearl try to pull Manaphy back, but the Pokémon refused to return into its ball. Pukamon listened carefully and looked up at me in confusion. "Manaphy is crying about returning into the ocean with the other legends."

"What does that mean?" Pearl asked as Manaphy slipped out of his fingers. "Manaphy!" The blue Pokémon became more liquid-like and evaded the blonde.

"I don't get it either, but Manaphy is saying it needs to get into that dark-looking ocean."

I caught up to Pearl's side and watched as Manaphy entered the water. Red eyes stared back at us as we watched. Pearl didn't seem to mind as he charged into the water. "Manaphy!"

"Pearl, don't be reckless!" I called out after him. A shadow rose out of the ocean and attacked Pearl, sending back onto the shore. "Pearl!"

The blonde stared at the glowing blue light in the ocean. "Manaphy!" He clenched his teeth and looked towards me. "We've got to go after it."

I nodded knowing we couldn't let Manaphy go on its own. It was just a baby after all. Pukamon and I charged towards the shadows and Pearl sent out a small orange weasel. Pearl and I looked at each other and smirked, knowing this was a test of our willpower. "Let's go, Pukamon!" I shouted.

"Don't hold back, Zellord! Water Gun!"

"Air Bubbles!" Pukamon shot the bubbles towards the shadow but they seemed ineffective. I turned to look at my partner but noticed he was already surrounded by the light of evolution. "Pukamon, evolve! Gomamon!" He dove into the dark ocean and smirked at the shadows. "March of the Fishes!" The familiar colorful fish attacked the creatures while more gathered together to build a small raft.

I got Pearl's attention and the two of us got on board. Pearl recalled Zellord and gulped as he peered into the ocean's dark depths. "Just what are those creatures?"

Gomamon and I looked at each other with a shrug. We had never seen them before at all.

* * *

~TAKERU~

I stared down the cliff and quickly backed away as I saw the violent waters of the Dark World beneath them. "There's nowhere else we can go," I stated, an edge of fear entering into my voice.

Dia went to the edge and took a look for himself. "If we jump from here, would we land somewhere else?" He shook his head vigorously to answer his own question. He carefully lifted his gaze and stared at the other fragments of the Digital World. "Lady and Pearl are out there somewhere."

I nodded and glared down at the Dark World's ocean. "And Hikari might be in danger." I clenched my fist and let out a curse. "Damn it! Below is the Dark World and out there is the Digital World, but we can't go anywhere!"

Dia looked at his Pokétch and grimly nodded. "It's clear that everyone else is on another piece of the Digital World, but we can't get to them." He checked his Pokémon and sighed. "I don't have a Pokémon that can fly."

Tokomon looked up at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, Takeru."

I immediately let go of my anger and picked up my partner. "No, it's not your fault, Tokomon," I said with a smile.

"But if I could evolve, we would be able to armor evolve and fly away towards the others."

I sighed and held him close to me. "That's okay. It'd be worse if you were hurt, Tokomon."

Dia looked at me and smiled. "Yeah, so let's not give up. We'll find another way."

I stared at the boy oddly. There was a lot of worry and fear showing in his eyes but he seemed so calm. I didn't understand how he could find the strength to put on a smile. He really did have a strong control of his emotions. His closest friends were in danger but he was being rational. I feel the same way but I was letting my fear affect my judgments. I can't protect anyone the way I am now. Seeing Dia so determined though made me realize his sense of Hope might have been greater than mine.

We shared a smirk before we decided to get down from the cliff. As we began, Dia paused because something in his backpack was bothering him. He turned to look at it with a puzzled expression on his face. "Gi?" he asked as he cautiously opened his bag.

I saw a Poké Ball shake violently before it opened. A colossal Pokémon stood in front of us, staring towards the ocean. It towered over me and I couldn't tell what it was thinking. I thought it was going to attack us, but it simply walked to the edge of the cliff and kept a steady gaze at the water.

Dia stared at his Pokémon but couldn't read its thoughts. Suddenly his clear blue eyes widened with realization. His determined expression grew more serious as the large Pokémon lifted its trainer up. "Takeru, we have to go look into the ocean."

A part of me didn't want to, but I tried to force those feelings down. In the end, I couldn't so I started to talk Dia out of it. "Are you sure? You can feel that powerful aura coming from the ocean, right? Aren't you afraid too?"

The boy lowered his gaze and thought about it. He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I am. But I want to trust Gi. It never leaves its Poké Ball so whenever it does, it's my job as its chosen trainer to believe in it. I know Pearl and Lady are out there somewhere, so I'm going after them." He lifted his eyes towards me. "The precious future lies in that ocean, Takeru. That powerful aura we sense is threatening that and everything else we care about."

I glared out over the cliff once more. Tokomon looked up at me worriedly. "Takeru…"

I nodded and swallowed my fear. Gi offered out a hand and I climbed up. I sat on Gi's other shoulder and held on tight as the giant behemoth jumped.

* * *

~RED~

I rolled over in my sleep but groaned when my muscles ached. My body felt sore so I decided to sit up and check if I was okay. I opened my eyes and stretched, but to my surprise, I wasn't in Gennai's house. I jumped to my feet and looked around in alarm.

"Where is this?" I cried as I grabbed the prison cell bars. I thought back and remembered my previous battle against those tentacle claws. I shook my head when I thought about seeing all of my Pokémon devolving before me. I looked down at my team and sent them out.

My surprised cry was caught in my throat when I saw how hurt everyone was. I fell to a knee and shook in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, everyone. I messed up again, didn't I?" I lifted my gaze towards Poli and Saur, who were in their first forms. "You two… The two of you were the first Pokémon I ever got." My eyes travelled to Vee. The Eevee seemed to be struggling to maintain its form and I hugged him. "It took a long time for you to be cured of your mutation too." I looked at everyone else but noticed Aero was missing. "Don't tell me…" I rasped out.

Pika sadly held out a small piece of gold-orange amber. My thoughts were confirmed and I clenched it tightly. I shook in silent rage and disappointment at myself, but took a deep breath. There was no time for that right now. I got back up and fixed my hat.

"We need to get out of here," I decided. I tested the bars and noticed they were made of some special metal. Looking at my team, I realized that none of them had enough strength to break it. I had to try anyways. "Snor!"

My Snorlax tried to wrestle the bars apart. I cheered him on but eventually his footing slipped. The large Pokémon gave me an apologetic look but I patted his back to reassure him.

"Oh? Trying to escape?" A voice behind us forced to me turn.

I prepared for a fight, but didn't see anything.

"Over here," the voice taunted me from right beside me.

I jumped and was about to call an attack when I felt a chain wrap itself around my throat. I struggled as my attacker made himself visible to us. It was a strange ghost-like Digimon carrying a scythe. His red cloak covered his face, but his evil blue eyes stared at me coolly.

"It's about time you've woken up! The crowd is getting restless!"

"Crowd?" I struggled to say.

"Yes! This is a coliseum, you know? There's an audience ready to see you fight!" My Pokémon wanted to attack, but the Digimon noticed their tension. He tightened the chain and sneered at them. My team looked at me worriedly and immediately backed down. "That's a good fighter. No your place and win your fights, okay?" He stared into me and laughed. "If not, you'll probably end up dead!"

He tugged sharply on the chain and forced me out of the cell. I stumbled a bit and felt the chain loosen. "What makes you think I'll agree?" I challenged.

"We dispose of any useless fighter. You don't seem to be able to do much in this position, so I could quickly end this now for you and those creatures that follow you. Besides, if no one fights, we'll have to dispose of _all_ of you." He made a gesture towards the rest of the cells and I saw that more Digimon and Pokémon were cowering in fear inside them.

I burned in anger and so did my team, but we couldn't act on it. I bit back my fury and had to agree to fight. The first chance we get though, we'll free the others and escape. "Fine, lead us to the arena then."

He laughed as he shoved me up the stairs. "Remember, these fights are to the death, so do your best to survive. The bets are already coming in so make this interesting!"

I was left in shock as I realized I would have to totally defeat my opponent. I tensed in frustration but decided to fight anyways. I recalled everyone except Vee. Concerned, the Eevee looked up at me with an expectant gaze.

I smiled back and nodded. We'll fight and win, but we won't be merciless killers. That's not what being a Fighter is about. I reached into my bag and took out the familiar evolution stones. I didn't really think I would have a need for them again, but it was a good thing I had them.

A small green Digimon was brought out. I studied it and realized it wasn't really powerful. The Digimon resembled a slug and it stuck out its tongue goofily. It was afraid as it saw me standing with Vee. It panicked and tried to run back to its side of the coliseum's prison. "I can't win against a Chosen Child! Let me back!"

The reaper Digimon reappeared and blocked his path. "You will fight or you will forfeit." He held his scythe readily and I tensed up.

"Vee," I prepared for him to attack, but the slug Digimon obediently turned to face me.

Satisfied, the other Digimon disappeared again. I stared at the small green slug oddly. "If you don't want to fight me, why do it?"

"Phantomon is sure death," the Digimon whimpered. "Against you, there's a small chance."

I shook my head. "Not just a small chance. I'm not a killer."

"But we have to fight."

"I know," I said weakly.

The match began when the slug threw some sort of sludgy projectile towards us. I dodged out of the way and picked out the water stone. Vee smoothly became a puddle and glided along the ground. He blasted the slug with a steady stream of water.

Apparently that was all it took to take down the small Digimon. He slumped to the ground and awaited the worst, but I didn't do anything. Instead, I called out for Vee. "Okay, that's good. We're done, Vee."

Phantomon appeared, shaking his head at me. "This is a death match. There's no room for mercy here." He raised his scythe to finish the slug, but Vee used Quick Attack to reach the weapon.

I flashed the Thunderstone and called out an attack. "ThunderShock!" The stream of electricity quickly travelled through the scythe, shocking the Digimon. I glared at Phantomon. "I'm not going to allow anyone to die."

"Why you insolent brat!" Phantomon charged towards me, but the crowd began jeering in protest. He paused and stared at me. "I guess I can't finish off a crowd favorite then. Have it your way. I'll just have to pit you against tougher opponents. Some of them won't hesitate to destroy you."

I braced myself for the next fight. "I still won't finish them off. That's not what it means to be a Fighter." My hand went over my heart as I remembered my reason for battling.

The matches did get tougher, but it was unnecessary to kill my opponents. I just knocked them out as best as I could without hurting them too bad. Most of the Pokémon and Digimon were just afraid. They had no reason to be fighting either so I did my best to spare them from any needless bloodshed.

Finally, I was forced to return to my cell to rest. Apparently, there was only one more opponent for me to fight. I checked my team to see if they could handle one more battle. When I gave me their determined expressions, I nodded. "Okay, everyone. The same as before. Let's go."

I silently followed Phantomon out to the field but was surprised to see who it was waiting for me. Apparently he was surprised too. "Red!" The brown-haired boy stared at me with his determined brown eyes. He shook his head. "I can't fight against you!"

"Neither can I, Taichi," I said as we realized our situation.

* * *

PLATINUM (Confused): So where are Diamond and Pearl really?

IXEN (Annoyed): Gone, away somewhere. Probably the Dark Ocean.

JOU (Antsy): I guess we won't know for certain what happens next for a while though.

AUTHOR (Guilty): Sorry, sorry. I'll try, I promise... Stupid school... Why can't life be like Pokemon where it's unnecessary? Wah...


End file.
